Oviposition Patterns and Egg Characteristics of Australian Tortricine Moths (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae).

Abstract

Oviposition patterns and egg characteristics are recorded for representatives of five of six tribes that comprise the Tortricinae in Australia. Included are 57 species in 32 genera: Phricanthini (one sp.) deposit globose eggs singly or in non-overlapping rows; Schoenotenini (three spp., three genera) lay flat, circular eggs singly or in rows of two or three; 'Cnephasiini' (three spp., two genera) deploy strongly convex eggs singly; Epitymbiini (30 spp.. 16 genera) deposit flat eggs usually in weakly overlapped, small circular patches of5-15 eggs; Archipini (20 spp., 10 genera) typically oviposit in regularly imbricate rows in a large, oval mass, followed by several smaller ones. Two Australian Archipini are aberrant, laying eggs singly or in pairs. Four different kinds of morphological and correlated behavioural modifications are employed to ornament eggs with 'corethrogyne' scales, either from the female's abdomen (two genera of Epitymbiini and one of Archipini) or hindwings (analogous development in one species of Epitymbiini and one genus of Archipini).