Satyrium Scudder

Munguira, Miguel L., Martín, José, García-Barros, Enrique, Shahbazian, Gayaneh & Cancela, Juan Pablo, 2015, Morphology and morphometry of Lycaenid eggs (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae), Zootaxa 3937 (2), pp. 201-247 : 209

Genus Satyrium Scudder

( Figs. 5 C–F, 6 and 7A, B)

The eggs of this genus have generally a sea urchin appearance with the only exception of Satyrium w-album (Knoch) that has a lenticular shape and a flat micropylar pole ( Fig. 5 C, D). This species has the annular zone with clearly defined cells with smooth walls and interior, a wide transition zone with barely any sculpture and an equatorial area whose cells have prominent walls and tubercles forming a crown. S. spini (Denis & Schiffermüiller) ( Fig. 5 E, F) has prominent spiny tubercles protruding from the corners of the cells on the tubercleaeropyle zone, a not well defined transition zone and a depressed flat annular zone with circular holes and a lobed micropyle rosette normally with three primary cells. S. ilicis (Esper) , S. esculi (Hübner) , and S. acaciae (Fabricius) share very similar egg morphology, with spiny tubercles that are shorter in these three species than those of S. spini . S urrounding the annular zone S. ilicis ( Fig. 6 A, B) has a set of rounded tubercles which make the micropylar depression deeper and can be diagnostic from S. esculi ( Fig. 6 C, D), that is otherwise a very similar species. S. acaciae ( Fig. 6 E, F) has always scales glued to the chorion surface, because the female covers the egg after laying it with scales from a specific tuft located at the end of its abdomen. Finally, S. pruni ( Fig. 7 A, B) shows an annular zone almost devoid of ornaments. In the transition and tubercle-aeropyle zone it has a structure of quadrangular cells, whose edges give rise to small pinnacles with opened tips.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Scanning electron microscope photographs of a general view of the egg and the detail of the annular zone of the eggs of Callophrys avis (A, B), Satyrium w-album (C, D), and S. spini (E, F). Scale bars 500 (A, C), 200 (E), and 50 Μm (B, D, F).

FIGURE 6. Scanning electron microscope photographs of a general view of the egg and the detail of the annular zone of the eggs of Satyrium ilicis (A, B), S. esculi (C, D), and S. acaciae (E, F). Scale bars 500 (A, C, E), 100 (B), and 50 Μm (D, F).

FIGURE 7. Scanning electron microscope photographs of a general view of the egg and the detail of the annular zone of the eggs of Satyrium pruni (A, B), Lampides boeticus (C, D), and Cacyreus marshalli (E, F). Scale bars 200 (A, C), 300 (E), 50 (B, D), and 20 Μm (F).