Are cicadas insects? A guide to the classification of cicadas

In the sweltering summer, we can often hear cicadas singing under the trees, and when we look up we can catch sight of them. But many people do not know whether cicadas are insects or some other kind of animal, so let us find out together.

1. Are cicadas insects?

Cicadas are insects. They belong to the class Insecta, order Hemiptera, family Cicadidae. They are a type of hemimetabolous insect, and their life cycle goes through three stages: egg, nymph and adult. In everyday life, we also call them zhi liao, jie luo zi and so on.

2. The development of cicadas

The cicada is a hemimetabolous insect; it has no pupal stage. As temperatures rise in summer, eggs laid in previous years hatch into larvae, which burrow into the soil and feed on the sap of plant roots and stems. They need to live for about 5 years, and once mature, the larvae climb to the surface, begin to molt and become adults. Adult cicadas can only survive for a few months.

3. How cicadas produce sound

The cicada calls we hear in daily life are all made by male cicadas. Their sound-producing organs are at the base of the abdomen, like a large drum. The tymbal vibrates to produce sound, and because the singing muscles can contract and relax about 10,000 times per second, and the space between the cover plate and the tymbal is empty and can act as a resonator, their calls are especially loud. They can also take turns using various different tones to sing passionately at high volume. The structure of the female cicada is incomplete, so it cannot produce sound.

As an insect, the cicada can be used in medicine, and the body of the cicada is also very nutritious and can be eaten. If you are interested in it, you can give it a taste.