Scanning electron microscopy of eggs of Mansonia bonneae (Diptera: Culicidae).

The egg of Mansonia bonneae (Edwards) is described by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and compared with other sympatric species reported recently in previous studies. Ma. bonneae differed from Ma. uniformis (Theobald), Ma. indiana (Edwards), Ma. annulifera (Theobald), and Ma. annulata (Leicester) in that it has six variably sized dog-tooth spines surrounding the raised central micropyle, and only a single nipplelike stud at the anterior one-third of the egg. A key for identification of the eggs of the five sympatric Mansonia species under SEM is presented.