Cassini Periodical Cicada vs Balsam Woolly Adelgid

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cassini Periodical Cicada Balsam Woolly Adelgid
Scientific Name Magicicada cassini Adelges piceae
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Cicadidae Adelgidae
Size 24-28 mm 0.5-1 mm
Habitat Woodlands Forests
Diet Sap Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions Eastern United States, overlapping with other Magicicada species Europe, North America
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Cassini Periodical Cicada

A 17-year periodical cicada distinguished from related species by its all-black underside and distinctive buzzing call. It often emerges alongside M. septendecim in the same broods.

💡

Did You Know?

Its call sounds like a rapid series of ticks followed by a buzz, distinctly different from the pharaoh-like drone of its sibling species.

Balsam Woolly Adelgid

An invasive European adelgid that kills fir trees in North America. Its feeding causes abnormal wood formation called rotholz.

💡

Did You Know?

It nearly eliminated Fraser fir from the highest peaks of the southern Appalachian Mountains.