Egg Morphology of Anastrepha spp. (Diptera: Tephritidae) in the fraterculus Group using Scanning Electron Microscopy

Abstract

Abstract We describe detailed scanning electron microscopic (SEM) observations of eggs of six Anastrepha species in the fraterculus group: Anastrepha antunesi Lima, Anastrepha bahiensis Lima, Anastrepha coronilli Carrejo & González, Anastrepha distincta Greene, Anastrepha turpiniae Stone, and Anastrepha zenildae Zucchi, for the first time. Eggs were dissected from females captured in McPhail traps in Cariri in the state of Tocantins; Itacoatiara, Manaus, and Presidente Figueiredo in the state of Amazonas; and Porto Velho in the state of Rondônia, in the Brazilian Amazon. Eggs were examined using both scanning electron and optical microscopes. At least 10 eggs were examined for each species by using SEM, and 20–35 eggs per female of at least three females of each species were prepared for light microscopy. The eggs of all six species are similar in gross morphology. They are tapered at both ends, have a papilla at the anterior pole, and the micropyle is located on the dorsal side near the anterior pole. Diagnostic characters to differentiate among these six species include the chorion ornamentation, location of aeropyles, and a pronounced rim of the chorion with a woolly appearance surrounding the micropyle. None of the eggs of the studied species had a conspicuous respiratory appendage.