Comparative Egg Morphology of Four Species of Erebidae (Lepidoptera) From China

ABSTRACT The chorionic sculpture of the eggs of Euproctis pulverea (Leech, 1888), Lymantria dissoluta Swinhoe, 1903, Arctornis nivea Chao, 1987, and Spilarctia subcarnea (Walker, 1855), was examined and described in detail by utilising light and scanning electron microscopy. Euproctis pulverea could be distinguished from L. dissoluta by the egg densely covered with hairs and the sculpture only displayed in the micropylar area. Arctornis nivea is unique in that the apex of the egg is dish‐shaped and the bottom is smoothed, and the micropyles opening five star‐shaped. Spilarctia subcarnea is characterised by four or five star‐shaped micropyles of the egg chorion, concaved primary cells with intertwined fibres, and numerous aeropyles expressed on the ridges. We briefly discussed the significance of egg chorionic morphology in taxonomic and systematic studies in Erebidae.