Ultrastructural Comparison of Egg Surface Morphology of Five Lutzomyia Species (Diptera: Psychodidae)

Abstract

Surface structure of sand fly eggs of five species are illustrated with scanning electron micrographs. Eggs studied were from the following New World sand fly species: Lutzomyia anthophora (Addis), Lutzomyia cruciata (Coquillett), Lutzomyia diabolica (Hall), Lutzomyia shannoni (Dyar), and Lutzomyia vexator (Coquillett). Eggs of these five species and of 36 previously described species were grouped into four morphological categories based on egg surface patterns: polygonal, connected parallel ridges, unconnected parallel ridges, and volcanolike. Several methods used for fixation of sand fly eggs are discussed.