Ultrastructure of Egg Chorion of Vulnerable Species Morimus funereus Mulsant, 1862 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Year 2018, Volume: 46 Issue: 3, 315 - 319, 01.09.2018

Derya Çiftçi

Abstract

I
n this study, the egg chorion of Morimus funereus Mulsant, 1862 is examined. M. funereus, xylophagus and
saproxylic species, accelerate the nutrient transformation of forests by separating dead trees. This species
is categorised in “VU (Vulnerable)” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and also included in European
Habitats Directive. A female specimen of M. funereus was collected from Eskişehir in 2012. The specimen
was laid in a laboratory environment. The eggs are whitish cream, oval-fusiform in shape. Polygon patterns
(pentagons and hexagons) are visible on the egg surface on SEM images. Two micropyles, one at the anterior
pole and the other at the posterior pole, occur in the egg. The micropylar areas are spongiform with pores of
various sizes. Chorionic structure and micropylar area of the egg are quite different from other Cerambycidae
species eggs. Egg surface morphology of M. funereus can be used as basis for further studies and as a tool to
compare other species of Morimus.

Keywords

Morimus funereus, egg, chorionic structure

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