After it hatches, a cicada’s first years are spent as a nymph. With claw-like forelegs they burrow deep into the ground, where they stay for several years, shedding their skin about five times as they grow. Depending on the species, the nymph stage of New Zealand cicadas can last three years and perhaps longer.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Soil Bugs – An Illustrated Guide to New Zealand Soil Invertebrates
Photograph by Alastair Robertson and Maria Minor
© Massey University
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