Ennya Chrysura ecdysis
Description
This data file reports the observed variables' results during pre-ecdysis, ecdysis proper, and postecdysis of Ennya chrysura (Hemiptera, Membracidae) for 11 individuals, six females (F) and five males (M). Units for all variables are seconds (s) except for contractions or frequencies, in which the unit is either the number of contractions, contractions per second or contractions per minute. The point of posterior process of the pronotum seems to break before the point of the dorsal elevation in individual 11, however, it could have been that the angle of the video did not allow us to observe the real moment of the rupture of the dorsal elevation.
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Steps to reproduce
Fifth instar nymphs of E. chrysura were collected from a natural population in Escazú, San José, Costa Rica (1200 m. altitude) between September 2020 and May 2021. Nymphs were transferred to potted plants of Solanum betaceum in a laboratory at the same site. We identified nymphs about to molt by observing the yellow pigmentation of adults beneath the translucent cuticle of nymphs; this allowed us enough time to set up filming equipment. A Canon Vixia HF G40 digital camera with a 4x magnifying lens (Vivitar Series 1) was placed on a tripod. We used additional cool artificial lighting that would not dry or damage delicate tissues. Videos of the last minute of pre-ecdysis, the complete ecdysis proper and the expansional section of post-ecdysis were recorded for 11 individuals (six females and five males) in lateral and dorsolateral views. These videos were subsequently analyzed using Quick Time Player 10.5 in a 30x40 cm window on an iMac screen, focusing on anatomical traits shown in Fig. 2 (Miranda & Orlich-Ramírez, 2024) and their transformations. All measured variables about behavior and timing of morphological development were registered 60 seconds before the first visible break in the old cuticle and ending with full pronotal expansion. We did not wait for the adult coloration to develop fully or for the cuticle to harden, but focused only on the visible process of expansion. We report quantified behavioral variation as ranges or averages ± one standard deviation. The total sample of 11 was used for all variables, with one exception. The filming angle for one individual did not allow us to count abdominal contractions during wing expansion and to calculate contractions per minute during that period; for this last variables, we used a sample of ten.