GIANT CICADAS, 2: They're big, whiny and moving to 
Central Texas ... we'll explain on Passport to Texas ... 
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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

It's not a new species for Central Texas, but the giant 
whining cicada, absent from the area for nearly seventy 
years, is making a comeback.
 
There are historical records from San Antonio in the thirties for 
this beast. And I don't know if we had some cold winters along 
the way, and then maybe the droughts of the fifties knocked 
them back as well. So, I can only speculate, really, on why 
they're up here in such numbers all of a sudden.

Mike Quinn, invertebrate biologist for Texas Parks and 
Wildlife, says except for being nearly two and a half 
inches long, it resembles other cicadas found in Texas.

All cicadas are pretty similar, with the clear, transparent wings. 
And they have a buzzing sound. And, this, like most others, 
calls from the tops of trees, so it's much harder to actually see 
than it is to hear. 
 
Typical of cicadas, this species spends the majority of its 
life -- at least four years - underground until it matures. 
Quinn doubts the current crop of giant cicadas emerged 
in Central Texas. 

This could be an emergence from four years ago, but we 
haven't had any reports from four years ago. They moved into 
the area this summer. 

See a picture of this cicada, and learn more about him on 
Mike Quinn's entomology website, texasento.net.

That's our show for today ... For Texas Parks and 
Wildlife ... I'm Cecilia Nasti.