FASCINATING FACT

The cryptic story of the New Forest Cicada

The New Forest Cicada (Cicadetta montana) is the only cicada species native to the UK and very possibly the last. C. montana has not been seen or heard in the UK since the year 2000. Despite countless projects aimed at recording and identifying the species’ call throughout the New Forest, this insect appears to have been lost from the UK’s woodlands indefinitely. Sadly, this is no surprise given that it has already been lost across most of its native range of Western Europe.

The lifecycle of C. montana is just as miraculous as other cicadas. Emerging from eggs after a reasonably long (up to 125 days) incubation period, the grubs bury deep into the soil where they can spend between six and 10 years. During this time, the nymphs will feed on the sap of plant roots. When they are finally ready to emerge, they will create a clay-like tunnel towards the surface of the soil. It is thought that this tunnel helps the insects determine the weather conditions above the surface. As a species that will only tolerate the warmest UK springs, the adult cicadas will sing from high in the trees at no less than 20°C. Due to their extremely cryptic lifestyles, it is highly possible that the New Forest Cicada still lives here in England, beneath the soils of the New Forest.

The New Forest Cicada is one of the UK’s largest insects at 3cm in length. Due to its drastic decline, it has been listed as a priority species in the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act. Although it may be too late to save this highly endangered species, conservationists have their theories on why the New Forest cicada has seen such drastic declines. As well as wetter summers as a result of climate change, animal grazing has reduced the number of plants for the cicadas to lay their eggs and livestock may trample the nymphs’ tunnels, leaving them exposed to predators. The WWF reports that over 70% of land use in the UK can be attributed to agriculture and between 1970 and 2013, 56% of UK species saw a decline in population numbers. Even the New Forest Cicada, a species which shelters itself from human activity and is only seen once a decade is vulnerable to the effects of agriculture here in the UK.