Cicadas are a superfamily of True Bugs (order Hemiptera), related to leafhoppers, planthoppers, and spittlebugs. They are famous for loud grating calls that adults make while perched in trees, as well as their extended underground nymph stage (as long as 17-19 years in the periodic cicadas of the eastern US). Cicada use their piercing mouthparts to drink the sap from trees. They tend to prefer drier habitats and are only rarely seen in our region.
The “pronatum” is the shield directly behind the head – it has a colored back edge that gives a collar to most species. The “mesonotum” is the shield behind that, it has a circle of colored markings in about half of our species.
Salmonfly Cicada (Platypedia areolata ) – 0.8″. Collar and other borders can be yellowish, tan, or greenish, legs are red-brown. “Hairy” towards front and below. Makes clicking call. Found in alder, sumac, and fruit trees. (photo © icosahedron )
Putnam’s Cicada (Platypedia putnami ) Randy Floyd )
Rocky Mountain Cicada (Okanagana occidentalis ) – 0.9-1.1″. Black body with orange margins and a circular marking on mesonotum. A thick, stout cicada, pronatum does not narrow as much as Mountain Cicada. Call is a slow buzz. Found in forest and brush. (photo © Jeff Cole )
Mountain Cicada Okanagana bella )James Bailey )
Canadian Cicada (Okanagana canadensis ) – 1.0″. Yellowish-orange markings on a duller black body. No orange borders on the abdomen segments. Call is a slow, rattling buzz. Found on pine, cedar, and willow, often perched at the very end of branches. (photo © Joe Walewski )
Rust-spotted Cicada (Okanagana ferrugomaculata )Elliott Smeds )
Oregon Cicada (Okanagana oregona ) – 0.7″. A small species. Black with orange collar but no orange markings on the mesonotum. Distinct orange ribbing on abdomen and orange underneath. Wings have yellow-orange veins. Call is high-pitched buzz. Found in forest. (photo © Tyson Ehlers )
Gloomy Cicada (Okanagana tristis ) – 1.1″. A large species. Matte black and usually lacks orange collar, though it has a bright orange/rust belly, wing base, and other highlights. Call is a low-pitched buzz. Found in forest. (photo © James Bailey )
Two-spotted Cicada (Okanagana vandykei )James Bailey )
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