Podisus distinctus (Stål, 1860) and Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas, 1851)

(Figs. 1, 13–22; Tab. 2)

Eggs barrel-shaped; color prior to embryonic development yellow in P. distinctus and golden yellow with black spines in P. nigrispinus (Fig. 1); operculum round and convex; chorion translucent and spinose. An eclosion line is evident under SM as a smooth light band delimited by the AMPs (Fig. 1). With the development of the embryo, the eggs become darker, and the red eyes of the nymph become evident through the chorion. The aero-micropylar processes are circularly arranged in a row around the anterior pole, translucent, very long and slender (Fig. 1). Embryonic development has not been followed, so the egg-burster has not been observed. According to Grazia et al. (1985), the egg-burster in P. nigrispinus (described as P. connexivus Bergroth) does not become evident during embryonic development because of its lighter color. The morphological aspects of the eggs have been previously studied under SM for P. nigrispinus (Grazia et al. 1985; Saini 1994) and more recently under SEM for P. distinctus, emphasizing its postdepositional dynamics (Sá et al. 2013).

The chorion surface is sparsely spinose under SEM. The lateral wall bears short interconnected spines forming wide polygonal markings (Figs. 13, 15, 18, 20). The operculum is similarly sculptured, but the spines are longer, and the polygonal markings are less evident (Figs. 14, 19), especially in P. nigrispinus . The eclosion line is evident as a slightly depressed broad smooth strip (Figs. 16, 21). The aero-micropylar processes are slightly clubbed at apex, and their openings are subapical and outwardly directed (Figs. 16, 17, 21, 22). The surface of the processes is smooth even under higher magnification (Figs. 17, 22).