Fauna
Insect

Lyric Cicada

Neotibicen lyricen

Also known as Lyric Dog-day Cicada, Lyric Harvestfly

Lyric cicadas fill deciduous canopies across eastern North America with a steady, pulsating buzz throughout mid-to-late summer afternoons. Emerging nymphs crawl up tree trunks at dusk to shed their papery brown exoskeletons, revealing large green-and-black bodies marked with distinctive reddish-brown or yellowish collars. Adults spend their brief aerial lives feeding on branch xylem sap and evading specialized aerial hunters like cicada killer wasps.

ArthropodVocalForest
Lyric Cicada reference1 / 7
(c) Dayna, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & preyHerbivorous (xylem fluid from roots and woody stems)
Predators
  • Eastern Cicada Killer Wasp
  • Blue Jay
  • Eastern Gray Squirrel
ThreatsDeforestation, broad-spectrum pesticide spraying, and heavy soil compaction
HabitatsDeciduous woodlands, mixed forests, and suburban tree canopies
Life span2–3 years (mostly underground; adults live 2–6 weeks)
Classification
  1. FamilyCicadidae
  2. SpeciesNeotibicen lyricen
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Harmless to humans; safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
  • Spotting exuviae: Search the lower 1 to 2 meters of hardwood tree trunks in midsummer for intact shed skins.
  • Listening for males: Tune your ears to high, continuous, pulsing buzzes vibrating from deep within the summer canopy.
  • Gentle handling: If an adult lands on you or falls to the ground, allow it to walk freely onto a twig or leaf.
Related species
Help improve the field guideSomething wrong?

Report a name, category, or profile issue for review.

Checking your Fauna account…