Cicadas

In Florida, cicadas are best known for their loud calls heard during the day, usually issuing from trees. Their cast nymphal skeletons are often seen on the trunks of trees or on shrubs. In much of the eastern United States, they are also known for their appearance in colossal numbers (as many as 1.5 million per acre) every 13 or 17 years.

However, these periodical cicadas do not occur in Florida. Cicadas are often heard but seldom seen or captured, so it is fortunate that species can be readily identified by their songs. The 19 cicada species known from Florida fall into three groups based on overall size as revealed by the length of the forewings:

• Small (length of forewing less than 7 mm)
• Medium (length of forewing 23 to 32 mm)
• Large (length of forewing 31-57 mm)