Brood X

Brood X (Brood 10), the Great Eastern Brood, is one of 15 broods of periodical cicadas that appear regularly throughout the eastern United States. It has the greatest range and concentration of any of the 17-year cicadas.

Every 17 years, Brood X cicadas tunnel en masse to the surface of the ground, lay eggs, and then die off in several weeks. The combination of long dormancy, simultaneous emergence of vast numbers, and short period before the nymphs' burrowing underground to safety, allows the brood to survive even massive predation.

Brood X's most recent appearance was in the spring and early summer of 2004 throughout an area roughly enclosed by Illinois, Michigan, New York and Georgia. The next appearances will be in 2021 and 2038.

Bob Dylan's song "Day of the Locusts" (on his 1970 album New Morning) refers to the Brood X cicadas that were present in Princeton, New Jersey in June 1970 when Dylan received an honorary degree from Princeton University.

References

Further reading

• "Selected Internet Resources â€" 17-Year Periodical Cicadas (2004)", Science Reference Services, Library of Congress

External links

• Brood X map
• 2011 Tennessee Cicadas: Noise and Mating
• Moore, Thomas E. (July 2, 2002). "Generalized distributions of extant 17-year broods of periodical cicadas" (figure). Singing Insects of North America. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Archived from the original on 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2011-07-01. 

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