Plesanemma McQuillan, 1984

Young, Catherine J., 2006, Descriptions of the eggs of some southern Australian Geometridae (Lepidoptera), Zootaxa 1287, pp. 1-294 : 1-294

Plesanemma McQuillan (Figs 352–362)

This genus consists of a lowland species fucata that is widely distributed in southern Australia and is commonly found in eucalypt forests and a highland species altafucata that is retricted to the highlands of Tasmania ( McQuillan 1984). P. fucata inhabits forests at altitudes of around 200m whereas P. altafucata is a sub­alpine species at about 800m. The eggs of the two species are very similar. They are bluntly ovoid in shape with the posterior pole sub­acute and the anterior pole slightly angled to the micropylar axis. The altafucata egg is narrower and more elongated in shape then the broader fucata eggs. The egg is marked on all surfaces by convex hexagonal cells. Cell walls are slightly recessed and in altafucata overlain by a narrow, shallow reticulum. Micropylar cell walls are narrow and slightly elevated and the primary to tertiary cells recessed. Aeropyles are unelevated in altafucata and slightly elevated in fucata , are inconspicuous with very small openings and absent from the midle of the top wide side of the egg and in the case of altafucata the anterior pole is also slightly angled to the horizontal axis. The chorion in both species is rough and wrinkled. Plesanemma eggs resemble those of Fisera , Mnesampela and Paralaea in respect of general shape and angling of the anterior pole to the micropylar axis and aeropyle size and distribution.