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Fun Facts
Did You Know?
The nymph of Neotibicen resh spends an estimated three to five years underground feeding on root fluids, though nobody established the exact development time with precision for North Louisiana populations specifically. They emerges in late June through July in most years, with some variation depending on the spring season's temperature and moisture profile
If This Animal Could Talk...
"Watch closely, respect my space, and let my habitat explain the rest of the story."
The Resh cicada takes them name from the Hebrew letter resh, which its wing marking resembles if you hold the wing at the right angle and are already thinking about the Hebrew alphabet. Most North Louisiana residents are not doing either of those things when they encounter them, which is probably fine because the wing marking observation needs having the cicada in hand and the Latin name Neotibicen resh is not widely recognized regardless of how you came to it. What is widely recognized is the call.
The Resh cicada produces one of the more distinctive cicada calls in North Louisiana's summer chorus: a sustained, electric buzz with a quality that sounds mechanical in a way that stops people underneath the right tree. It is the call that makes someone look up who was not looking up before, which is not something every cicada achieves.
A Few More Facts
How they hunt and forage: The nymph of Neotibicen resh spends an estimated three to five years underground feeding on root fluids, though nobody established the exact development time with precision for North Louisiana populations specifically. Mississippi kites, which breed in North Louisiana and are active hunters of large flying insects, take Resh cicadas in flight during summer. The interaction between kites and large annual cicadas in North Louisiana's hardwood corridors is one of the more visible predator-prey relationships in the summer landscape precisely because both animals are operating in open air above the canopy.
Live birth or eggs? no
When young are born: They emerges in late June through July in most years, with some variation depending on the spring season's temperature and moisture profile.The exit hole from emergence is slightly larger than that of smaller cicada species, reflecting the larger nymph size.
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Accessibility
Accessibility
The call is the access point, as with all cicadas. The Resh cicada call is loud enough and distinctive enough to locate without specialized equipment in any North Louisiana hardwood setting from June through August. Finding the source of the call needs patience and slow movement toward the sound. The calling male in the canopy relocates when disturbed and resumes calling from a new position within minutes.
Resh cicada exuviae cling to the bark of mature hardwood trees from July through September at standing height, larger than most other annual cicada exuviae on the same trees. The fresh emergence holes near tree bases in July need crouching to examine, but any lawn with mature hardwood trees puts them within reach.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Resh Cicada live in North Louisiana?
Yes. Most North Louisiana residents are not doing either of those things when they encounter them, which is probably fine because the wing marking observation needs having the cicada in hand and the Latin name Neotibicen resh is not widely recognized regardless of how you came to it. The Resh cicada produces one of the more distinctive cicada calls in North Louisiana's summer chorus: a sustained, electric buzz with a quality that sounds mechanical in a way that stops people underneath the right tree.
The Resh cicada measures about one and a quarter to one and a half inches in body length, putting them in the mid-to-large range of North Louisiana annual cicadas.
How do you identify Resh Cicada?
The Resh cicada measures about one and a quarter to one and a half inches in body length, putting them in the mid-to-large range of North Louisiana annual cicadas. The body is black with pale greenish-yellow markings on the thorax and head. The abdomen is dark. The wings are clear with orange-tinted veins near the base, becoming clearer toward the wing tips. The wing marking that gave them the name, a pattern in the hindwing venation that resembles the letter resh, needs the wing to be examined directly and is not a field identification character in any practical sense. At rest they reads as a large, dark-bodied cicada with orange-accented wing bases that are visible when the wings are spread but fold against the body at rest. In the canopy at distance the Resh cicada is a large cicada shape. Up close they are remarkable. Most people never get close enough to find this out. At close range the orange wing base coloration is the most accessible visual character distinguishing them from similar-sized species with primarily clear wing veins.
What does Resh Cicada eat?
The nymph of Neotibicen resh spends an estimated three to five years underground feeding on root fluids, though nobody established the exact development time with precision for North Louisiana populations specifically. Mississippi kites, which breed in North Louisiana and are active hunters of large flying insects, take Resh cicadas in flight during summer. The interaction between kites and large annual cicadas in North Louisiana's hardwood corridors is one of the more visible predator-prey relationships in the summer landscape precisely because both animals are operating in open air above the canopy.
Is Resh Cicada dangerous to people?
No. This species is not dangerous to people when it is observed without handling or disturbance
