Cicadas fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are cicadas?

Cicadas are insects in the superfamily Cicadoidea within the order Hemiptera. They have stout bodies, large compound eyes, short bristle-like antennae and two pairs of clear, veined wings. Australia has more than 200 cicada species, and well-known examples include the Greengrocer and Double Drummer. At Field of Mars Reserve, cicadas are likely to be found on tree trunks, branches and in the canopy of eucalypt forest and other vegetated parts of the reserve, while their nymphs live in the soil and leaf litter near plant roots.

A cicada.

Where do cicadas live?

Cicadas live in urban areas, forests and woodlands. Adult cicadas are often found on tree trunks and branches in summer, while some smaller species may live on shrubs or even long grass. At Field of Mars Reserve, tree habitats, eucalypt forest, leaf litter and soil all provide connected habitat for different parts of the cicada life cycle. Greengrocer cicadas are often seen resting in summer.

What do cicadas eat?

Cicadas are herbivores. They feed by piercing plants with their piercing-sucking mouthparts and sucking sap. Nymphs feed from plant roots underground, while adults feed from branches, stems and other plant tissues above ground. Cicadas do not bite, although they may cling with their claws if handled.

Adult cicadas such as the floury baker cicada feed on plant sap from trees and shrubs.

What is the life cycle of a cicada?

After mating, the female cicada uses her ovipositor to place eggs into slits in twigs or stems. When the eggs hatch, the tiny nymphs fall to the ground and burrow into the soil. There they feed on sap from plant roots and grow slowly, moulting several times. In some Australian species, the nymph stage may last for many years, while the adult stage lasts only a few weeks. When fully grown, the nymph climbs up a tree trunk or another upright surface and sheds its skin one final time. The winged adult emerges, leaving the empty shell behind.

Cicadas leave behind empty shells when the adult emerges from the nymph skin.

What adaptations do cicadas have to help them survive?

Cicadas have several adaptations that help them survive. Their nymphs have strong front legs adapted for digging, allowing them to tunnel underground and feed safely on roots for years before emerging. Adults have strong claws for gripping bark as they climb and moult, and many have colours and patterns that help them blend in with tree bark and foliage. To feed cicadas have a long beak-like mouthpart called a rostrum. It is used to pierce plant tissue and suck up sap. Male cicadas use tymbals to produce loud mating calls, and in many species the males gather and sing in chorus, which can reduce the chance of any one individual being caught by a predator.

A cicada emerging from its nymph skin shows the claws and body structures that help it climb and moult.

Why are cicadas important?

Cicadas are part of bushland food webs. They feed on plants and are eaten by birds, bats, spiders, wasps, ants, mantids and other animals. Their seasonal emergence also helps mark summer in local ecosystems, and their calls are one of the most recognisable sounds of the Australian summer.

Face-on view of a double drummer cicada.

How can you help cicadas?

You can help cicadas by protecting native trees and shrubs, keeping leaf litter and soil around roots as natural as possible, and avoiding unnecessary pesticide use in gardens and bushland. Cicadas need healthy vegetation above ground and healthy soil below ground to complete their life cycle.

Like all cicadas, black prince cicadas depend on bushland and natural vegetation to survive.

Related fact sheets

More invertebrate fact sheets

• Invertebrate fact sheets – overview
• Insects fact sheet  – cicadas are insects with the same basic insect body plan.
• Plant hopper fact sheet – another sap-feeding insect in the order Hemiptera.

Habitats and ecosystems

• Leaf litter fact sheet – leaf litter and soil help support the underground nymph stage.

• Tree habitats fact sheet – bark, branches and canopy provide resting, calling and emergence sites.

• Eucalypt forest fact sheet– explains the local bushland context.

• Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet – explains the local reserve and habitat diversity.

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