Missouri Animals Periodical cicada   (Magicicada cassini) Arthropoda: Insecta: Homoptera Native North American insect Habitat: woodland, forest Diet: root sap as larvae ID Features: orange eyes and wings, dark-colored body Natural History: The Periodical cicada begins its life as an egg on the branch of a tree. After hatching, the larvae fall to the ground, burrow into the soil, and spend the next 13 or 17 years (depending on the specific subspecies) in the soil feeding on root sap. In the summer of their 13th or 17th year, they crawl to the surface and undergo metamorphosis. With their new wings, they find mates and lay eggs to restart their life cycle.

The graphics, text, and sound are from: Singing Insects of Missouri, Missouri Department of Conservation, ©1998.