Periodical Cicada (Noun)
Meaning
North American cicada; appears in great numbers at infrequent intervals because the nymphs take 13 to 17 years to mature.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- The Magicicada is a type of periodical cicada that emerges in massive broods throughout the eastern United States.
- These periodical cicadas spend most of their lives underground, sucking sap from tree roots before emerging en masse after years of subsurface development.
- Ecologists have tried using satellite imaging and statistical analysis to predict the geographic distribution of the next brood of periodical cicadas.
- Due to their long underground lives and large scale synchrony in emergence, periodical cicadas are often studied by researchers as a model for understanding population ecology and evolution.
- A mature periodical cicada has large, prominent eyes, transparent wings with distinct veins, and, in the case of males, modified abdomen parts used for sound production.