Comparing the egg ultrastructure of three Psorophora ferox (Diptera: Culicidae) populations

Abstract

Abstract Characterising the external morphology of mosquito eggs is important, since it facilitates the identification of material from breeding sites and contributes to the understanding of species biology and group systematics. Therefore, was to compare eggs from different Psorophora ferox populations using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Eggs were obtained from adult female of Ps. ferox collected in the Poços das Antas Biological Reserve (Reserva Biológica de Poços das Antas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). From each female, one portion of eggs (n = 5) was reared for identification purposes, and the second portion (n = 10) was examined using SEM for morphometric analysis. The egg morphology was then compared to that of eggs from Ps. ferox populations in Florida (USA) and Arena (Trinidad). The exochorion ornamentation of the populations differs considerably in the morphology of the tubercles of the chorionic cells, external chorionic reticulum, micropylar collar, and micropyle.