Annual cicada explained

Annual cicadas are Cicadidae species that appear every summer. The life cycle of a so-called annual cicada typically spans 2 to 5 years; they are "annual" only in the sense that members of the species reappear annually. The name is used to distinguish them from periodical cicada species, which occur only in Eastern North America, are developmentally synchronized, and appear in great swarms every 13 or 17 years.^[1] All other cicadas from all other biogeographic regions produce annual broods, so the distinction is not made outside of North America.

Species called "annual cicada" include members of the genus Neotibicen ("dog-day cicadas"), Diceroprocta,^[2] Neocicada,^[3] and Okanagana.^[4] See Cicada page for additional information.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Cicada Central. University of Connecticut. 13 June 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110609044825/http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/projects/cicada/cc.php. 9 June 2011 . live.
2. http://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/tag/diceroprocta-vitripennis/ Diceroprocta vitripennis
3. http://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/2010/07/08/hot-weather-means-cicadas-emerge-sooner-most-likely/ Cicadamania: "Hot weather means cicadas emerge sooner"
4. Web site: Periodical Cicada Page. University of Michigan. 13 June 2011. To learn about some of the common annual cicada species of eastern North America (including the genera Tibicen, Diceroprocta, and Okanagana), and to hear their songs, see our Michigan Cicadas Page.. https://web.archive.org/web/20110720091755/http://insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/fauna/Michigan_Cicadas/Periodical/Index.html. 20 July 2011. dead.