Egg morphology of nine species of pollenia robineau‐desvoidy, 1830 (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Abstract

Egg morphology of nine species of the cluster fly genus Pollenia Robineau-Desvoidy was studied with scanning electron microscopy. Funnel-shaped micropylar area, chorion covered with centrally depressed hexagons, well developed hatching pleats on the dorsal surface encompassing the median area were found in eggs of all species: P. amentaria (Scopoli), P. angustigena Wainwright, P. atramentaria (Meigen), P. labialis Robineau-Desvoidy, P. mayeri Jacentkovsky, P. pediculata Macquart, P. rudis (Fabricius), P. similis (Jacentkovsky), and P. vagabunda (Meigen). Untypical for Calliphoridae, a dual morphological structure of plastron-bearing area is described here for the first time. On the basis of our observations, all species studied share the presence of a plastron respiratory function on the entire surface between the hatching lines. Differences between species were found in the shape of the longitudinal hatching pleats and the proportion between 'island pattern' and 'hexagonal pattern' of their chorionic surface, and in the intensity of perforation of hexagons of the median area. Comparisons of Pollenia egg morphology with that of other representatives of Calliphoridae revealed its unique structure, allowing easy differentiation from other representatives of the family.

The blowflies of the Madeira Archipelago: species diversity, distribution and identification (Diptera, Calliphoridae s. l.)

“…As the rest of Pollenia spp., it is a predator on earthworm species (Rognes 1987). The egg and first instar larva of this species were described by Grzywacz et al (2012) and Szpila (2003), respectively, and their morphology is significantly different compared to that of necrophagous blowflies.…”

“…The larvae are predators on earthworms, including the lumbricid Eisenia rosea (Savigny) (Rognes 1987). The early immature stages were described by Szpila (2003) and Grzywacz et al (2012).…”

“…Pollenia rudis uses earthworms as larval hosts and is active all year round, particularly during spring (Rognes 1987, Martínez-Sánchez et al 1998). The immature stages were described by Yahnke and George (1972), Szpila (2003) and Grzywacz et al (2012).…”

Structural and Genetic Investigation of the Egg and First-Instar Larva of an Egg-Laying Population of <I>Blaesoxipha plinthopyga</I> (Diptera: Sarcophagidae), a Species of Forensic Importance

“…In Pollenia spp. (Calliphoridae), the micropyle is situated in a deep depression or funnel (Grzywacz et al 2012), whereas in Calliphora vicina (Robineau-Desvoidy) and Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann) (Calliphoridae) the depression is shallow (Greenberg and Singh 1995). Evidence concerning the shape and position of the micropyle from the dissected eggs of other sarcophagids suggests that the structure may vary considerably in the family.…”

Rotational Scanning Electron Micrographs (rSEM): A novel and accessible tool to visualize and communicate complex morphology

“…Since the early 1970s (for an early example, see Herman 1972), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has had an increasingly important role in several taxonomic fields, especially the study of Arthropoda, in exploring the fine surface sculpture and other morphological aspects impossible to assess with a standard stereo- or compound microscope, or poorly resolved at higher magnifications using µCT and MRI (e.g., Rota 2005; Whitmore 2009, 2011; Akkari and Enghoff 2011, 2012; Grzywacz et al 2012; Miller et al 2012; Shear 2012). For some millipede families (i.e., Dalodesmidae Cook, 1896, Haplodesmidae Cook, 1896) characterized by minute genitalia, descriptions of new taxa are based primarily on SEM, supplemented with line drawings (e.g., Mesibov 2008, 2009).…”