**2. Construction of the turret**

The turret is constructed from the well, which has a double curvature near the ground surface (**Figure 5a**) and a single one in depth (**Figure 5b**), as revealed by cement casts.

From the moment it appears, the night-time growth of the turret is very rapid; 3–4 cm per night. The nymph uses a special technique that allows it to lengthen the top without ever opening it, so without exposing itself to predators. It softens the top with a mixture of its urine and clay drawn from the bottom of the well and loaded on its clypeus; then it pushes everything upwards [2].

When the nymph encounters obstacles, it continues its construction obliquely, but restores the verticality as soon as possible, manifesting an acute perception of gravity (**Figure 6**).

The monitoring of many buildings, after the construction of the turret and until the nymph abandons its burrow before moulting into a winged imago, has made it possible to identify various maintenance and rehabilitation behaviours, as well as to make hypothesis about the role of the turret.

**91**

**Figure 2.**

**Figure 3.**

**3. Maintenance and rehabilitation**

*be seen on the head of the nymph.*

If a turret is damaged, the nymph fixes it without delay. It performs an occlusion with a mixture of clay and urine (**Figure 7**) if its turret was severed, before restoring the initial height (see below). Maintaining the sealing of the building appears to be a priority for the nymph; if one experimentally fractures a turret and then re-stack

*Endoscopic images of the nymph in its well;* lbi*: Labium,* fr*l: Foreleg,*mdl*: Middle leg,* hnl*: Hind leg. Clay can* 

*The Nymph Architect of the Cicada* Guyalna chlorogena*: Behaviours and Ecosystem*

*The cicada* Guyalna chlorogena*; young imago after moulting (photography Vanessa Gama).*

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.94106*

*The Nymph Architect of the Cicada* Guyalna chlorogena*: Behaviours and Ecosystem DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.94106*

**Figure 3.**

*Ecosystem and Biodiversity of Amazonia*

were monitored daily. The observations made up to 2016 have been published [2]. The results obtained subsequently will be the subject of a second publication (Béguin,

*(a) View of a turret. (b) Turret removed. (c) Entrance to the well. (d) Inner surface of the summit.*

The turret is constructed from the well, which has a double curvature near the ground surface (**Figure 5a**) and a single one in depth (**Figure 5b**), as revealed by

From the moment it appears, the night-time growth of the turret is very rapid; 3–4 cm per night. The nymph uses a special technique that allows it to lengthen the top without ever opening it, so without exposing itself to predators. It softens the top with a mixture of its urine and clay drawn from the bottom of the well and

When the nymph encounters obstacles, it continues its construction obliquely, but restores the verticality as soon as possible, manifesting an acute perception of

The monitoring of many buildings, after the construction of the turret and until the nymph abandons its burrow before moulting into a winged imago, has made it possible to identify various maintenance and rehabilitation behaviours, as well as to

Gama and Ribamar Mesquita Ferreira, to be published).

loaded on its clypeus; then it pushes everything upwards [2].

make hypothesis about the role of the turret.

**2. Construction of the turret**

cement casts.

**Figure 1.**

gravity (**Figure 6**).

**90**

*Endoscopic images of the nymph in its well;* lbi*: Labium,* fr*l: Foreleg,*mdl*: Middle leg,* hnl*: Hind leg. Clay can be seen on the head of the nymph.*
