Description of Anastrepha sororcula and A. serpentina (Diptera: Tephritidae) Eggs

Abstract

The morphology of Anastrepha sororcula Zucchi and A. serpentina (Wiedemann) eggs are described by scanning electron microscopy. A. sororcula eggs present a conspicuous sculpturing of the chorion at the micropylar end while the eggs of A. serpentina are devoid of such ornamentation. The sculpturing of the A. sororcula eggs, represented by ridges in a polygonal arrangement, is more developed in the ventral than in the dorsal side of the egg. The micropyle is located in the dorsal side near the egg apex and is surrounded by a row of chorionic polygons. In A. serpentina the micropyle is located in a prominent rim very near the extremity of the egg. Aeropyles are found at the anterior end usually at the ventral side of the eggs. Fractured eggs of both species showed that the chorion is cavernous throughout the egg body. It is suggested that these eggs may be able to perform a plastron-mediated respiration. The results suggest that egg morphology may be useful to elucidate taxonomic and phylogenetic relationship among Anastrepha species.