cicada

, cicala

any large broad insect of the homopterous family Cicadidae, most common in warm regions. Cicadas have membranous wings and the males produce a high-pitched drone by vibration of a pair of drumlike abdominal organs

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

cicada

symbol of eternal life. [Chinese Folklore: Jobes, 338]

See: Immortality

cicada

symbol of talkativeness because of its constant, strident noise. [Folklore: Jobes, 338]

See: Talkativeness

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References in periodicals archive

From the treetops male cicadas scream their dusk chorus hoping to attract mates.

The ROM in the rainforest

New records of cicadas from Mexico (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea: Cicadidae).

First record of the aridland cicada, Beameria venosa, in Arkansas

Even for insects, cicadas are odd, waiting out their long lives in burrows until this sudden flare, when they get to set up a clatter by vibrating plates on their exoskeletons.

A blaze of cicadas; It's their summer to sizzle and shine

Responses of free-living cicadas (Homoptera: Cicadidae) to broadcasts of cicada songs.

The final instar exuvium of Pycna semiclara Germar, 1834 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae)

Periodical cicadas were heard at the following locations:

Observations on periodical cicadas (Brood XIX) in Indiana in 2011 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Magicicada SPP.)

All sites were chosen because they exhibited high levels of cicada emergence according to local observers.

The effect of periodical cicadas on growth of five tree species in Midwestern deciduous forests

Periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) exhibit some of the most extreme life histories of any insect, with large populations of adults appearing only once every 13 or 17 years.

Twig to root: egg-nest density and underground nymph distribution in a periodical cicada (Hemiptera: Magicicada septendecim (L.))

The sound of cicadas always seems to sneak up on me.

Chirp of cicadas and crickets is sign summer is winding down

Some had questioned village shopkeepers about how to get their hands on chemical weapons to quieten the racket made by the male cicadas as they "sing" out in search of a mate.

Tourists complain French cicadas are 'too loud'

Others are also looking at the insect kingdom but with a very different approach: taking cicadas as their research subjects, Australian scientists have discovered that the wings of these noisy critters are highly resistant to bacteria not because of some chemical they excrete but because of their very design.

Intelligent design