Description of the Egg of Aedes (Diceromyia) furcifer (Edwards) (Diptera: Culicidae)
Abstract
The eggs of Aedes furcifer (Edwards) are described and illustrated for the first time herein. This is also the first description of the eggs for any species of the subgenus Diceromyia Theobald. The following description is based on 4 mature eggs extracted from the abdomen of a museum specimen which had the following collection data on the labels: UGANDA, Bwamba Province, April 1948, E. C. C. van Someren collector, and SEAMP Accession Number 111. The nomenclature used follows that of Kalpage and Brust (1968) and Craig and Horsfall (1960). Eggs of furcifer are very resistant to desiccation as reported by Muspratt (1955: 174). He obtained hatching when he flooded eggs that had been laid in bamboo pots more than 14 months earlier. This drought-resistance of the eggs is an adaptation that enables the species, and probably, other members of the subgenus, to survive dry periods. The only other information on the eggs of Diceromyia is given by Mattingly (1959: 2, 43) for the Malayan species franciscoi Mattingly. He reports eggs of this species were collected from bamboo pots hung about 30 feet from the ground in a mango tree.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1972
- Accession Number
- ADA510715
Entities
People
- John F. Reinert
Organizations
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research