What is this?

[MrDeranged]

Yes, I know that it's dead whatever it is. I'm assuming some sort of mantid from the eyes and claws....

Any ideas?

S

 

[LaRiz]

Scott!
That's a cast skin from a cicada. That's what they look like when they're underground sucking on roots. Then they emerge, molt and fly away. Great pics! I thought they always just gripped the bark with their claws, but looking at your pics it appears they also "web" their abdomens down. Cool!
later,
john

 

[whoami?]

Yes, I know that it's dead whatever it is. I'm assuming some sort of mantid from the eyes and claws....

Any ideas?

S

That's a cicada.

pretty cool insect. They spend a lot of time underground, sucking the sap out of plant roots. Then, when they are ready to mature, they crawl out of the ground and find the nearest tree. They then climb the tree, moult into their winged forms, and fly off to find someone to have sex with.

And once they mature, that's really all they can do. The mature cicada's mouths don't allow them to eat. So they will soon die of starvation. once they mature, their only goal is to mate before they starve.

The males find mates by calling out to them. If you've seen the discarded exoskeletons, i'm sure you've heard the mating calls. it's LOUD, and comes from the trees. It's sort of a buzzing/chirping sound, but it's almost deafening. If yhou've ever heard it, i'm sure you know what i'm talking about.

Anyway, there are several species of cicada. The ones where I live (NW Florida) emerge one at a time, and you see the discarded exoskeletons on trees every summer. In other places, there are periodical cicadas that all emerge in huge swarms after a given number of years (13 or 17 iyears is common, I think).

But it's a pretty cool bug. Not a very good pet insect, but it's cool to watch them moult into adults.

if you walk around in the woods at dusk, you may see a few nymphs that are just crawling out of the ground to moult into adults. If you see one, I recommend catching it and then sticking it into a cage so that you may watch the moulting process. It's really a very beautiful thing. Then, the next day, release the insect so that it can mate before it dies.

 

[whoami?]

Scott!
That's a cast skin from a cicada. That's what they look like when they're underground sucking on roots. Then they emerge, molt and fly away. Great pics! I thought they always just gripped the bark with their claws, but looking at your pics it appears they also "web" their abdomens down. Cool!
later,
john

They don't web their abdomens down.

At least, not the species I've seen.

I suspect that the skin in the picture is just at least a few days old, and a tiny spider happened to pass under the skin and noticed that it was a cozy secure place to build a web.

 

[LaRiz]

They don't web their abdomens down.

Yeah, a little spidey makes more sense. Way to go!

 

[Scythemantis]

No mantid is that chunky Many insects have that claw design. I thought cicada nymphs and their shells were pretty famous but I always see people confused by them, oddly.

I have one with the adult cicada still sticking half-way out of it, not sure why it died that way. It's sad, but it's amazing. The wings are still partly crumpled.

 

[Randolph XX()]

is that the famous 17-yr one?

 

[edesign]

doubt it...we have tons of those around here too (those pictured). Find em all over, i keep one or two around my desk at work for fun