A bug belonging to the family Cicadidae (suborder Homoptera) in which the nymphs live below ground, in many species for several years, feeding on sap in plant roots and burrowing by means of crab-like forelegs. Adults live in trees. Males produce a loud call (‘song’). One North American species spends 17 years as a nymph before emerging to mate. There are about 2000 species, found mainly in the tropics.