Comparing a katydid and a cicada
Key Differences Between a Katydid and a Cicada
The main differences between katydids and cicadas are their appearance (size and shape), their song, and their reproduction cycle. When it comes to their appearance, katydids and cicadas have some similarities but can be easily differentiated. Katydids resemble grasshoppers and crickets, sometimes even being referred to as “bush crickets.” Cicadas are much more round and bulbous, looking more like an overgrown flea than anything. Regarding their song, both are quite famous. Katydids have a high-pitched song that is halting and staccato-like. Cicadas are probably more easily identifiable with their screeching and clicking noises.For their reproduction, katydids and cicadas are distinctly different. Katydids lay their eggs on the stems of plants, usually reproducing through the year, especially in warmer climates. Cicadas lay their eggs on trees, but the nymphs spend most of their lives deep underground before emerging to mate and quickly die. North American cicadas are known for their emergence from the ground en-masse, resulting in “broods” of cicadas that number in the billions. Aside from those primary differences, there are some other unique qualities that both of these insects share. Let’s explore those differences, as well as a few others, in-depth.
Katydid Vs Cicada: Appearance
Cicadas are much easier to identify since there aren’t many insects that look quite like them. Cicadas are bulbous insects with large bulbous eyes and prominent, transparent wings. They come in a few colors, primarily brown and green. North American cicadas, known as periodical cicadas, can come in colors like blue and red.
Katydid Vs Cicada: Location and Range
Cicadas are also incredibly far-ranging insects. They also live on every continent save Antarctica, with over 3,000 species known and more reported but undocumented. Cicadas spend most of their lives in the ground as nymphs. Once they emerge, they are arboreal (they live in trees) for a few weeks before dying off. They prefer temperate regions, but can be found in all sorts of environments.
Katydid Vs Cicada: Song
While both species of insect can create loud songs (mating calls), they are distinctly different. Katydids sound much like their grasshopper and cricket cousins. They create their sound through sound-producing organs on their front wings. Through vibrating these organs, they can create loud noises, the frequency of which is generally dependent on the ambient temperature. Incredibly, the simple equation of (chirps per 15 seconds + 37) is an accurate way to tell the temperature in the United States (in Fahrenheit). Below is a recorded clip of a katydid song.
Cicadas are quite famous for their song, although it’s distinctly different from the katydid song. Cicadas use their song to find mates, just like katydids do. Where katydids use friction (a process called stridulation) to make their sounds, most cicadas use specialized organs called tymbals to produce theirs. Their abdomens can act as a soundbox, allowing the reverberations to travel further. Where there are different species of cicada present, they will occupy different heights on trees and vary the times that they call in order to make sure the right mates get to them. A cicada’s song is much raspier than a katydid, with some describing it as screeching. Take a listen below to hear a clip of a North American cicada call.
Katydid Vs Cicada: Reproduction
The difference between katydid and cicada reproduction is quite notable. Katydids use their song to find mates. Once they have found a mate, the male will give a gift to the female, something called a spermatophylax. The fluid is nutritious and used to distract the female with food while the male attaches his spermatophore to her. Once the process is completed, the female lays eggs near the stems of plants, where they will eventually hatch. After they hatch, they will go through a process of molting, maturing, and growing each time. Finally, they repeat the cycle themselves. Cicadas have a distinct reproductive cycle that has resulted in human attention. When cicadas reproduce, they follow the same initial steps that most other insects do. After a male finds a mate through his song, they will mate and the female will lay eggs on a tree. Once they hatch, the nymphs will fall towards the ground and dig deep into the earth, where they will live for years at a time, feeding on root sap and juices. When it’s time to mate, they emerge from the ground, shed, and fly into the trees to repeat the process, dying soon after. North American cicadas have a unique adaptation, however, that sets them apart. Instead of individual cicadas emerging from the ground to mate, entire generations (known as broods) will emerge from the ground all at once. These emergences happen every 17 years and are noted due to the billions of loud, singing bugs that emerge all at once.
