Data of wing size and body size of three cicada species

Sexual dimorphism in body size has been observed for many insect species,
while whether dimorphism influences the flight performance for closely
related insects or between the sexes of conspecifics however has seldom
been examined. We collected the nymphs of three species of cicadas,
Cryptotympana atrata, Meimuna mongolica, and Platypleura kaempferi in
their eclosion or as adults that had just shed their exoskeletons and were
drying their wings on tree trunks or branches at the Nanjing Forestry
University campus. Because the sample size of C. atrata from the Nanjing
Forestry campus was too small, we collected more C. atrata adults that
were resting on trees using a metal rod tipped with sticky flour at
another site that is 13.7 km away from the Nanjing Forestry University
campus. The fresh body mass and body length were measured, and the two
pairs of wings were surgically removed with a scalpel and then scanned
using a photo scanner. We extracted the planar coordinates of wing
boundaries and then calculated wing areas using the computer programs that
were first developed to calculate leaf area in prior studies. Total wing
area per individual is equal to the sum of wing areas of the pairs of
forewings and hindwings. In this data set, we provided the data of wing
size (including forewing and hindwing length, width and area) and those of
body size (including body length and mass) of the three cicada species.
The wing data of males and females were distinguished.