Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, 12(3):454-459, 1996Copyright @ 1996 by the American Mosquito Control Association, Inc.

FINE STRUCTURE OF THE EGGS OFAN O P H E LE S (AN O P H E LE 8 AP I C I MAC U IA, (DIPTERA : CULICIDAE)

MARIO H. RODRIGUEZ,I BIBIANA CIJAVEZ,' ARNOLDO OROZCOI,INO ADOLFO MARTINEZ-PALOMO'

ABSTRACT. The eggs of Anopheles (Anopheles) apicimacula Dyar and Knab are described fromscanning electron micrographs. The eggs are boat-shaped, with frills that extend ventrally along the lengthof the egg and surround the deck region. The ornamentation on the dorsal and lateral surfaces is formedby groups of smooth, round tubercles. The ventral surface is covered by irregularly jagged tubercles.Prominent lobed tubercles are present at the anterior and Dosterior ends of the deck.

INTRODUCTION

Anopheles (Anopheles) apicimacula Dyar andKnab, a member of Arribalzagia Series (Reidand Knight 1961), is distributed from centralMexico to northern South America, includingseveral countries in the West Indies and CentralAmerica (OSP 1949, Vargas and Martinez-Pa-lacios 1955, Cova-Garcia 1961, Forattini 1962).Despite its wide distribution and frequency inmalarious areas, this species has not been con-clusively incriminated as a malaria vector. How-eve\ An, apicimacula was suspected to be re-sponsible for persistent malaria transmission inthe state of Puebla, Mexico (Martinez-Palaciosl96O), and it has been successfully infected withPlasmodium falciparum in the laboratory (Sim-mons 1937).

Several descriptions of larval, pupal, andadult stages of this species are available (Vargasand Martfnez-Palacios 1955. Cova-Garcia 1961.Wilkerson and Peyton 1990), but descriptions ofits eggs are scanty (Kumm 1941, Vargas andMartinez-Palacios 1955, Cova-Garcfa 1961) andlimited to light microscopy. We present herein adetailed description of the eggs of this speciesby scanning electron microscopy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Anopheles apicimacula females were collect-ed using horse-baited nylon-screened traps (Fer-nandez-Salas et al. 1994) during routine ento-mological surveys in the Soconusco area of thestate of Chiapas in southern Mexico. Specimenswere identified with the key by Wilkerson andStrickman (1990). Blood-engorged mosquitoeswere maintained at 26-27oC and 857o RH andallowed to oviposit on moist paper. One hundred

rCentro de Investigaci6n de Paludismo, Centro deInvestigaci6n sobre Enfermedades Infecciosas, INSP. PO. Box 537, Tapachula, Chiapas, 3070O, M6xico.

2 Departamento de Patologia Experimental, Centrode Investigaci6n y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN.Av. I.PN. 2508 Mdxico, D.E,07300, M6xico.

and fifty eggs were examined under a dissectingmicroscope and measured from the anterior tothe posterior end and at the widest point betweenthe outer convex edges of the floats.

For scanning electron microscopy, eggs wereallowed to embryonate on distilled water for 48h. Using a fine paint brush, embryonated eggswere placed in a 2.57o glutaraldehyde solutionin 0.1 M sodium cacodylate buffer. Sampleswere dehydrated in increasing concentrations ofethanol, CO, critical-point dried, and coatedwith gold by ion sputtering. Specimens were ex-amined in a Jeol JSM-35 electron microscope,The terminology proposed by Harbach andKnight (1980) was followed for egg description.

RESULTS

Overall appearance: Boat-shaped, slightlybroader in anterior one third. Color: Black. Size:Mean length (-f SE) 509.2 +- 18.5 pm (n = 150,range 447.3-530.4 pm), mean width (+SE)107.7 -r 5.2 pm (n = l5O, range 105.2-1 18.4pm). Anterior end more rounded than posterior(Fig. l). Frills extend length of egg on ventralsurface, well separated from lateral floats (Figs.1A, lC). Ventral surface concave between edgeof floats and frills, narrow area uncovered byfrills flat (Fig. lC). Dorsal surface curved (Figs.1A, 1B) .

Dorsal (Iower) and lateral surfaces: Otterchorion on lower and lateral surfaces not cov-ered by floats, chorionic cell boundaries indis-tinct, plastron (Hinton 1968) formed of smooth,almost round tubercles (2 : 20, mean diameter-+ 5E3.24 -f 0.99 pm) (Figs. 18 and 2B). Floatswith 3O-32 long, narrow ribs, extending about83Vo length of egg (n : l0) (Fig. lA). At dorsalmargin, floats concave and ribs divided into 2 or3 ridges (Fig. lB). Ventral margin of floats al-most linear, ribs ending abruptly, terminating flaton a strip about 1 p,m wide along edge of float(Figs. lA and 2C). Outer chorion, on surfacecovered by floats, with same ornamentation asdeck, as seen by removing floats (Fig. 2A).

Ventral (upper) surface: Deck narrow and

Seprerrasrn 1996 Fnn SrnucrunE on Eccs or An. tptctutcutt 459

Linley, J. R. and P E. Kaiser. 1994. The eggs ofAnopheles punctipennis atl.d Anopheles perplexens(Diptera: Culicidae). Mosq. Syst. 26:43-56.

Linley, J. R. and L. P Lounibos. 1994. The remark-able egg of Anopheles peryassui (Diptera: Culici-dae). Mosq. Syst. 26:25-34.

Linley, J. R. and E. G. Milstrey. 1995. The eggs ofAnopheles (Anopheles) mattoSrossensis and Cha-gasia fajardi (Diptera: Culicidae). Mosq. Syst. 27:27-39.

Linley, J. R., P E. Kaiser and A. E Cockburn. 1993.A description and morphometric study of the eggsof species of the Anopheles quadrimaculatus com-plex (Diptera: Culicidae). Mosq. Syst. 25:124-147.

Martinez-Palacios, A. 1960. Sospechosa relaci6n ep-idemiologica entre Anopheles (Anopheles) apici-macula Dyar and Knab 1906 con un problema depaludismo. Bol. Com. Nac. Errad. Palud. (Mexico)4:177-119.

Oficina Sanitaria Panamericana (OSP). 1949. Actas de

la Decimosegunda Conferencia Sanitaria Panameri-cana. Pub. No. 241. Washington, D.C. 375 pp.

Reid, J. A. and K. L. Knight. 1961. Classificationwithin the subgenus Anopheles (Diptera, Culicidae).Ann. Tiop. Med. Parasitol. 55:474-488.

Simmons, J. S. 1937. Observations on the importanceof Anopheles punctimacula as a malaria vector inPanama, and report of experimental infections in A.neomaculipalpus, A. apicimacula, and A. eiseni.Am. J. Thop. Med. 17:197-212.

Vargas, L. and A. Martinez-Palacios. 1955. Distribu-ci6n de los anofelinos de Mexico. Rev. Inst. Salubr.Enferm. Trop. 15:81-123.

Wilkerson, R. C. and E. L. Peyton. 1990. Standard-ized nomenclature for the costal wing spots of thegenus Anophelas and other spotted-wing mosquitoes(Diptera: Culicidae). J. Med. Entomol. 27:207-224.

Wilkerson. R. C. and D. Strickman. 1990. Illustratedkey to the anopheline mosquitoes of Central Amer-ica and Mexico. J. Am. Mosq. Control Assoc. 6:7-J + .

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