Dog-day cicadas (Neotibicen species)

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More names for this insect

The Dakota and Anishinaabe were among the earliest people to name Minnesota’s plants and animals, as well as to understand them in relation to Minnesota’s climate and seasons. Those original names are still in use, and several are included on the Season Watch website. However, complete translations were not available.

Latin (or scientific name): Neotibicen (Neotibicen is the name of a genus with many species, several of which live in Minnesota.)

The scientific community has a convention of assigning agreed-upon Latin names to every kind of organism. Using scientific names helps people communicate confidently about the same organism and organize lifeforms based on how closely related they are.

More common names: Dog-day harvestfly, heatbug

Page contents

About dog-day cicadas

Visual guide to phenology

Audio resources

Graphs and historical data

A large insect clings to a dark-colored vertical surface. It has bright green wings, a wide head with small eyes, and patterns on its back.
Adult cicada shortly after emerging.
August 2019, Hennepin County, Minnesota
Photo © Tony Schollmeier, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
iNaturalist observation

About the dog-day cicada

  • Adult cicadas are large, stout insects that are green or brown in color. They have two pairs of clear wings and short antennae.
  • Nymph cicadas do not have wings and are typically dark brown. When a nymph morphs into an adult, it leaves behind a hollow skin.
  • There are two major categories of cicadas:
    • Dog-day cicadas have a two- to five-year life cycle. They emerge every year in Minnesota.
    • Periodic cicadas have longer life cycles. They emerge all at once in large numbers every thirteen to seventeen years. Periodic cicadas do not occur in Minnesota.
  • More often heard than seen, the distinctive humming of adult cicadas is a feature of Minnesota summers.

Visual guide to phenology

Watch for dog-day cicadas' presence (or absence) and abundance at different times of year.

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Note to observers

This page explains general clues to watch and listen for when observing dog-day cicada phenology. However, this page does not explain how to identify this insect or collect data in a standardized way.

  • Consult a field guide for help with identification.
  • For guidance on collecting data, see Nature’s Notebook.
A large insect clings to a vertical surface. It is green, brown, and orange with clear wings. It has a wide head and a patterned back.
This empty exoskeleton was left behind after the winged adult emerged. It is translucent brown with large front legs and a curved, segmented body.
One adult cicada clings to lush green vegetation. It's body is black and dark green. It has a wide head with small eyes and large veined wings that extend beyond its tail.
Two cicadas are well-camouflaged against the soil. They are positioned tail-to-tail because they are mating.
One large insect is standing on a flat, gray-brown piece of lumber. The insect is dark on top with whitish underparts. It has stiff wings that extend behind its tail.

Audio resources

Courtship call of a cicada
July 31, 2022, Toronto County, Ontario, Canada
Recording © Noam Markus, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
iNaturalist observation​​​​
Courtship call of a cicada
July 25, 2021, Houston County, Minnesota
Recording © Mathew Zappa, some rights reserved (CC-BY)
iNaturalist observation
Courtship call of a cicada
August 10, 2020, Peterborough County, Ontario, Canada
Recording © Don Sutherland, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
iNaturalist observation

Graphs and historical data

Note: The Orientation Center provides a map, as well as information on reading graphs; interpreting summary statistics, who collected the data and how; and how to download datasets for independent exploration.


Hubbard County
Graph showing the timing of cicada buzzing in Hubbard County, Minnesota

Download this dataset

 

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Keep exploring Season Watch

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Times of year

Co-author: Audrey Negro, Minnesota Master Naturalist