Cicadas’ mating ritual disrupted by sexually transmitted infection

Even in the world of bugs, one must be careful when making love.

The 13- and 17-year-old cicadas have made their presence known with their loud buzzing and humming, which at times has been perceived as almost deafening. The insects are doomed after emerging from the ground, mating and then dying.

But wait a minute, when it comes to mating, there are – just like with humans – some precautions to be taken.

Scientists have discovered that some male cicadas become infected with a fungus that is transmitted through sex. When the fungus takes full effect, it slowly eats away at the cicada until nothing is left and the insect dies, according to a report from WGN-TV in Chicago. This is why these particular cicadas are also known as “zombies.”

And this is not only good for the rest of the animal kingdom.

Jim Louderman, a collections assistant at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, told WGN that the fungus can also have “hallucinogenic effects on birds” that happen to eat an infected cicada.

The fungus is officially called Massospora cicadina. It looks chalky or dusty, and many men reading this will probably feel sympathy (and a little pain too) when they learn that the fungus attaches itself to the cicada’s gonads (or testes) and tears them from the body. That’s according to John Cooley, an entomologist at the University of Connecticut, who spoke to The Independent in the spring.

“The fungus causes infected males to flap their wings, producing a familiar buzzing sound that only female cicadas make. The sound attracts other males, who believe a female is ready to mate,” reports USA Today.

Another male comes along, becomes infected and the fungus spreads.

While the headline may seem to be a reference to the feelings of parents toward their teenagers during the rise of rock’n’roll in the 1950s, the fact is that it is true.

Illinois and its small western neighbor Iowa are home to the 17-year cicadas (also known as Brood XIII), while the rest of the states with cicada guests are primarily dealing with the 13-year cicada. The fungus affects both broods, but WGN reports that the 17-year cicadas are becoming infected in central Illinois and further east in areas like Champaign, then moving north to the Windy City.