Cassini Periodical Cicada vs Yellow-legged Hornet

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cassini Periodical Cicada Yellow-legged Hornet
Scientific Name Magicicada cassini Vespa velutina
Order Hemiptera Hymenoptera
Family Cicadidae Vespidae
Size 24-28 mm 20-30 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Sap Feeders Predators
Regions Eastern United States, overlapping with other Magicicada species East Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

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.

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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.

Yellow-legged Hornet

An invasive Asian hornet with a dark body and yellow leg tips now spreading rapidly across Europe. It is a major predator of honeybees near hive entrances.

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Did You Know?

Since arriving in France in 2004 in a shipment of pottery, it has spread to most of Western Europe.