Functions of Egg-Coating Substances Secreted by Female Accessory Glands in Alderflies, Fishflies and Dobsonflies (Megaloptera)

Yu, Pei; Liu, Xingyue; Hayashi, Fumio

doi:10.3390/insects13090766

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 25 publications

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“…The secretions have been identified in terrestrial arthropods, including dragonflies (Family: Libellulidae) (Miller 1987 ) and mites (Family: Acarididae) (Witaliński 1993 ), among others. In Megaloptera, there can be variations in the color of secretions depending on the species, and their physical characteristics can also range from being sticky to easily becoming powdered (Yu et al 2022 ). On the other hand, in Araneae, rather than having an amorphous secretion structure, microspherical and crystalline units have been reported across the eggs of 21 families and 53 genera (Grim and Slobodchikoff 1978 , 1982 ; Humphreys 1983 , 1987 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine structural characteristics of the chorionic microspheres on the egg surface of the orb web spider Trichonephila clavata

Lee

Moon

2023

Appl. Microsc.

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The eggs laid by the orb web spider Trichonephila clavata must overwinter in bitterly freezing and dry conditions before hatching, but there does not seem to be any protection like a compact silk case covering the entire eggmass. Instead, the surface of the eggmass is completely coated with a milky coating called chorionic microspheres (CM). Therefore, we investigated the fine structural characteristics of CM to demonstrate their ecological importance. Although the diameter of CM in outer eggmass exhibits a significant variation, the chorionic surface is coated with a single layer of CM, characterized by a consistent diameter of approximately 2.3 µm. The surface structure of aggregated CM shows short papillary projections demonstrating segmental adhesion of mucous components. CM is insoluble in water but partially soluble in anhydrous ethanol, and its spherical structure is completely decomposed by hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP), a strong organic solvent. Since our fine structural observations clearly show that CM is not derived from vitellogenic or choriogenetic processes, the CM adhesive coatings during ovipositional process appears to be equivalent to cocoon silk for various protective functions in silken eggcase.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine structural characteristics of the chorionic microspheres on the egg surface of the orb web spider Trichonephila clavata

Lee

Moon

2023

Appl. Microsc.

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Structural characterization and proteomic profiling of oviposition secretions across three rice planthopper species

Lu,

Ren,

Tian

et al. 2025

Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

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Egg coverings in insects: ecological adaptation to abiotic and biotic selective pressures

Li,

Wang,

Desneux

et al. 2024

Biological Reviews

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Insects have evolved a spectrum of strategies that facilitate survival in the face of adverse environmental conditions and bottom‐up or top‐down pressures. The egg is the first stage in the life cycle of most insects. It is not only immobile but in many insects is the stage that survives unfavourable seasons when food resources are unavailable. Eggs are targeted by oophagous natural enemies and also are subject to abiotic stresses. In response to these diverse stresses, insects have developed various egg protection strategies. Females of many insects lay eggs in clusters and then use their own body resources to cover them to provide protection from harsh environments and biotic attack. Such egg protection strategies have allowed some herbivorous insects to thrive in new environments and become serious invasive pests. Females of many insects protect their eggs in other ways (e.g. laying eggs in concealed places, direct parental care) while others do not provide protection at all. Here, we review various egg protective strategies in insects. Our focus is on adaptive ecological mechanisms and temporal variation as well as the benefits and costs of egg coverings. We highlight several case studies on how these egg protective traits might impede biological control of globally important agricultural and forest pests and propose a framework for incorporating egg protective traits into biological control programs especially for invasive insect pests.

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Functions of Egg-Coating Substances Secreted by Female Accessory Glands in Alderflies, Fishflies and Dobsonflies (Megaloptera)

Cited by 3 publications

References 25 publications

Fine structural characteristics of the chorionic microspheres on the egg surface of the orb web spider Trichonephila clavata

Fine structural characteristics of the chorionic microspheres on the egg surface of the orb web spider Trichonephila clavata

Structural characterization and proteomic profiling of oviposition secretions across three rice planthopper species

Egg coverings in insects: ecological adaptation to abiotic and biotic selective pressures

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