The sounds of the cicada are synonymous with summer in New Zealand. Here are 7 cicada facts to help you better appreciate these winged insects.
Summer in New Zealand always seems to fly by because there are so many fun outdoor activities to engage in. The warm, long, sunny days are perfect for long hikes, overnight trips to the mountains, and days spent on the beach. One can’t fail to notice or even be overcome by the chorus of buzzing cicadas when you are in the bush during the peak of summer. Those loud insects are another piece of what makes New Zealand special and here is a bit more information about them for you.
7 Cicada Facts
There are about 40 species of cicadas in New Zealand, all of which are endemic. These tiny invertebrates live across the entire country and can be found from sea level up to the alpine zone in mountains. They can be found living in forest, scrubland, grassland, alpine areas, and coastal areas.
Cicadas are the loudest insects in the world! Their sound can be heard up to a mile away. Interestingly, it is just the males that make the loud noise. They make that call in order to attract a mate. They just hang out and make that noise, hoping that a female out there will find it irresistible and come over to mate.
When most people think of cicadas they think of those super loud insects that we hear in the middle of summer in New Zealand (usually January to February). That is just the final phase of these insects lifecycle. These insects spend most of their life living underground! Their full lifecycle can be simplified as – live underground as a nymph, emerge and moult to a winged insect, seek mate and reproduce, females lay eggs, then finally the nymphs hatch and go underground where the cycle starts again.
In some parts of the world, such as the United States, cicadas live for up to 17 years underground before emerging, but in New Zealand they live for 1 to 3 years. They start life as a nymph living in the soil. When ready the final nymph will emerge from the soil at night and climb up the trunk of a tree or on rocks where it attaches itself. Then it will moult one final time, breaking out of its shell in the morning and waiting for its wings to fully form and dry before flying off. They will spend several weeks as a winged insect before dying.
Cicadas are a good example of an endemic New Zealand species that has evolved over time into many unique species. This is something called adaptive radiation – one or two species evolved relatively quickly into many new species because there were available niches or due to geographic separation. Scientists think that about 11 million years ago 2 species of cicada came over to New Zealand from Australia or New Caledonia. They then spread out across the country and evolved into the 40 or so species that now live here.
Cicadas feed on tree sap. They nymph form in the soil eats sap from tree roots. Then as a winged insect, it will eat sap from the trunks of trees.
These invertebrates provide a food source for many native animals. The winged form is eaten by native birds, and the nymph form that lives in the soil is also a food source for kiwi.