Egg chorionic ultrastructure of the dragonfly Tramea virginia (Rambur) (Anisoptera: Libellulidae)

SEM studies reveal that the egg chorion of T. virginia is divided into an outer soft exochorion and an inner tough endochorion. The exochorion expands into a jelly-like, sticky coat in water, while the endochorion is smooth, thin and unsculptured. The apically situated micropylar apparatus is formed of a large, dome-shaped, sperm-storage chamber and a small, flat, micropylar stalk which contains a pair of circular micropylar orifices. The micropylar apparatus is encircled by an exochorionic collar. The chorion is modified in accordance with the aquatic (still-water) mode of oviposition exhibited by this species while the micropylar apparatus is shaped to fit in the fertilization pore of the vagina.