Description of the egg of Hulecoeteomyia koreica (Edwards) (Diptera: Culicidae) using scanning electron microscopy.

The egg of Hulecoeteomyia koreica (Edwards) [=Aedes koreicus (Edwards)], an invasive mosquito in Europe, is described from material obtained in Italy. Eggs are cigar-shaped and tapered posteriorly. They are 667.5 ±47.27 µm in length, and the width posteriorly, in the middle and near the micropyle is, respectively, 113.18 ±10.07, 182.5 ±26.92 and 142.25 ±13.85µm. The outer chorion has groups of tubercles, 3 or 4 in an irregular row in the anterior region and 4-6 irregularly dispersed in cavities surrounded by a covering similar to a membrane. The micropyle is surrounded by an irregular collar, and groups of tubercles are less defined in this region. This pattern is different from the egg described for any other mosquito species.