Contractability of a Chorionic Opercular Corolla on Eggs of the Assassin bugSinea rileyiMontandon (Heteroptera: Reduviidae)

Abstract

Summary A chorionic opercular rim corolla contracts in response to submersion of eggs in water and dilates again when eggs dry. This “behavior” ceases in hatched and dead unhatched eggs. We suggest that contraction serves a group respiratory function. Egg clutches are sibships of high relatedness in close spatial proximity with shared susceptibilities. These factors suggest the possibility of various cooperative interactions especially in insects with elaborate chorionic structures.