Decim periodical cicadas

Magicicada septendecim (Linnaeus, 1758) was the first periodical cicada described. This 17-year species is closely related to two 13-year species (M. tredecim and M. neotredecim); these three species are often described together as "decim periodical cicadas."

Decim periodical cicadas is a term used to group three closely related species of periodical cicadas: Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada tredecim, and Magicicada neotredecim. M. septendecim, first described by Carl Linnaeus, has a 17-year life cycle; the name septendecim is Latin for 17. M. tredecim, first described in 1868, has a similar call and appearance but a 13-year life cycle; tredecim is Latin for 13. M. neotredecim (Latin for "new 13"), first described in 2000 by Marshall and Cooley in an article in the journal Evolution,[1] is a 13-year species but otherwise much more similar to M. septendecim than to M. tredecim as shown by studies of DNA and abdominal color variation by Chris Simon and colleagues in a companion article in the same journal issue.[2]

  1. ^ Marshall, David C.; John R. Cooley (2000). "Reproductive character displacement and speciation in periodical cicadas, and a new 13- year species, Magicicada neotredecim" (PDF). Evolution. 54 (4): 1313–1325. doi:10.1111/j.0014-3820.2000.tb00564.x. JSTOR 2640627. PMID 11005298.
  2. ^ Simon, Chris; J. Tang; S. Dalwadi; G. Staley; J. Deniega; T. Unnasch (August 2000). "Genetic evidence for assortative mating between 13-year cicadas and sympatric "17-year cicadas with 13-year life cycles" provides support for allochronic speciation" (PDF). Evolution. 54 (4): 1326–1336. doi:10.1111/j.0014-3820.2000.tb00565.x. PMID 11005299. Retrieved 12 May 2021.