Differentiation of Aedes aegypti and Aedes notoscriptus (Diptera: Culicidae) eggs using scanning electron microscopy

• Interspecific variation enables distinction of Aedes aegypti and Aedes notoscriptus mosquito eggs.
• Intraspecific egg variation enables differentiation of populations of both species.
• A high degree of intraspecific morphology variation exists in Ae. notoscriptus eggs.
• Egg attributes highlight regional and global variations in egg morphology.

Aedes notoscriptus and Aedes aegypti are both peri-domestic, invasive container-breeding mosquitoes. While the two potential arboviral vectors are bionomically similar, their sympatric distribution in Australia is limited. In this study, analyses of Ae. aegypti and Ae. notoscriptus eggs were enabled using scanning electron microscopy. Significant variations in egg length to width ratio and outer chorionic cell field morphology between Ae. aegypti and Ae. notoscriptus enabled distinction of the two species. Intraspecific variations in cell field morphology also enabled differentiation of the separate populations of both species, highlighting regional and global variation. Our study provides a comprehensive comparative analysis of inter- and intraspecific egg morphological and morphometric variation between two invasive container-breeding mosquitoes. The results indicate a high degree of intraspecific variation in Ae. notoscriptus egg morphology when compared to the eggs of Ae. aegypti. Comparative morphological analyses of Ae. aegypti and Ae. notoscriptus egg attributes using SEM allows differentiation of the species and may be helpful in understanding egg biology in relation to biotope of origin.

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