Cigales

Cigales is the plural term used in several Romance languages for cicadas, a group of insects in the order Hemiptera. In biological classification, cicadas belong to the superfamily Cicadoidea and the family Cicadidae, which comprises thousands of described species found around the world. They inhabit a range of environments, including forests, woodlands, scrublands, and sometimes urban areas with suitable trees.

A distinctive feature of adult cigales is their calling songs, produced only by males. These sounds are generated by large sound-producing membranes called tymbals on the abdomen and are species-specific, serving to attract females. The singing is especially prominent on warm days and can be very loud, particularly in large aggregations during summer.

The life cycle begins with eggs laid in slits in tree twigs or bark. The nymphs hatch and drop to the ground, where they burrow and feed on xylem sap from tree roots. Depending on the species, the underground nymph stage lasts two to seventeen years, after which they molt into winged adults. Adults typically live only a few weeks to a couple of months, during which time they mate, lay eggs, and die.

Ecology and behavior: cigales feed exclusively on plant sap. They are preyed upon by birds, small mammals, and parasitic wasps, and some species exhibit synchronized emergences that overwhelm predators. A notable exception are the periodical cicadas of North America, which emerge en masse at intervals of 13 or 17 years.

Conservation status varies by species and region; while many cicadas are common, habitat loss and climate change can affect emergence timing and local populations.