Carys Matthews is a freelance writer for Live Science and has a passion for the natural world. Most recently the group digital editor of BBC Wildlife and BBC Countryfile Magazine, she writes about the outdoors, nature and health and fitness. Prior to this she has worked for a number of sports and environmental titles in the U.K.
For the first time in 221 years, two gigantic broods of periodical cicadas are set to emerge from the ground simultaneously in the U.S. to engage in a raucous mating frenzy.
Although there are more than 3,000 cicada species, just seven are periodical cicadas . Of these, three have 17-year life cycles, and four have 13-year life cycles. Periodical cicadas have much longer life cycles than nonperiodical cicadas, which mature each summer and are found globally. Related: A trillion cicadas will descend on the US this spring in rare event that could leave unforgettable stench
Despite their geographic proximity, the two broods have not emerged at the same time for 221 years, although many other 13-year and 17-year broods have appeared in the same year. Working with scientists from Kyoto University and Shizuoka University in Japan, UConn researchers found evidence of extensive interbreeding between 13 and 17-year cicadas of the same lineage , but they didn't note any change between the life cycles. There are four genetic lineages of periodical cicadas in the genus Magicicada: M. decula, M. cassini, M. decim and M. tredecim.
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