Perméabilité et ultrastructures des œufs de deux lépidoptères Tineidae: Monopis rusticella et Trichophaga tapetzella

Abstract

The incubation period, morphology, and permeability of the eggs of two moths, Trichophaga tapetzella, which can develop in a dry atmosphere, and Monopis rusticella, which can only develop in a humid atmosphere, are compared. At high humidities Trichophaga has the shorter incubation period. In dry conditions both species lose water but only the eggs of Trichophaga hatch. The dry weight of the egg of both species is the same but the moisture content of Trichophaga is greater. A serosal cuticle is formed 35 hr after insemination in Monopis but no such cuticle is formed in Trichophaga. Both species lose water but seem unable to absorb it. The egg of Trichophaga is less permeable than that of Monopis, and this difference is related to a difference in the structure of the eggshells of the two moths. The outer layer of the chorion of Monopis is very thin and the inner layer of the chorion (endochorion) has numerous deep craters. However, in Trichophaga the outer layer of the chorion is thick and craters or furrows in the inner layer are present only on the anterior pole.