Hatching egg of the cabbage moth

A hatching egg of the cabbage moth, Mamestra brassicae. The picture is a scanning electron micrograph of an egg, hemispherical in shape with a ribbed surface. The larva inside has punctured the shell and will emerge as a free living caterpillar. It will consume the shell until nothing remains but the adhesive pad that attached the egg to the substrate (in this case, the underside of a cabbage leaf). The name cabbage moth is misleading: the larvae are serious pests affecting a range of commercial plants, including Beet, Lettuce, Cannabis, Tomato and Spinach, as well as members of the Brassica family. The species pupates in the soil, and adults emerge in late Spring to early Summer. Mating is intitiated by females by extending the antennae and vigorously flapping the wings. If successful, she will lay over 2000 eggs in groups of up to 350. The hole in the shell is about 0.3mm wide., by DR JEREMY BURGESS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY