The Sex Lives of Cicadas, Revealed

→ Оригинал (без защиты от корпорастов) | Изображения из статьи: [1]

You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.

The moment has arrived.

After years underground, periodical cicadas — insects of the genus Magicicada — are emerging by the trillions across more than a dozen states to molt, sing, court and mate. A casual human listener could mistake their collective chorus for the sound of a U.F.O. landing:

But to the individual cicada, what's underway is a courtship ritual as intimate and intricate as a tango. The stakes are high; the potential missteps are many.

Review the guest list

This year, in a rare "dual emergence," two groups of periodical cicadas are in attendance: Brood XIII, or the Northern Illinois Brood, comprising as many as three species of 17-year cicada in some locations, and Brood XIX, the Great Southern Brood, comprising up to four species of 13-year cicada. Their songs — like those of Magicicada septendecim and Magicicada neotredecim, below — can sound deceptively similar:

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

Want all of The Times? Subscribe.