Macariini, Guenee, 1858

Young, Catherine J., 2006, Descriptions of the eggs of some southern Australian Geometridae (Lepidoptera), Zootaxa 1287, pp. 1-294 : 1-294

Comment on Macariini

The eggs of all species in this tribal grouping are morphologically homogeneous. The shape ranged from narrow and elongated to moderately broad and sub­elliptical. All eggs are conspicuously marked all over by hexagonal, concave cells with moderately broad, elevated and double­ridged walls. The aeropyles are large, elevated domes with small to very small openings and are absent from the middle of the top wide side. Rosette cells are recessed and the chorion is usually densely and deeply pitted or coralline and mesh­like as in Boarmia penthearia . The Australian macariine eggs bear a very close resemblance to the eggs of the nacophorines Aphantes , Gastrina and Nisista and also the boarmiine species Psilosticha mactaria , described above.

The homogeneity of the group and its affiliation with the global fauna is further made evident by similarities to the Nearctic fauna described by Salkeld (1983). Resemblance is particularly close to species of Itame Hübner and Semiothisa Hübner. The eggs of these genera also have a sculptured appearance from the elevated, moderately broad walls and concave cell form, the large domed aeopyles in Itame and the generally deeply and roughly pitted chorion. The distinctiveness of the egg characters of the Macariini supports its status as a separate tribe.