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File: <phori1.ima.htm> [For educational purposes only] Terminology Glossary <Principal Natural
Enemy Groups > <Citations> |
Immature Stages of Phoridae
Clausen (1940) gave a cursory description of
the immature stages of the Phoridae so that the parasitic and predaceous
forms might be distinguished from other Diptera that may attack the same
hosts. The eggs of very few species were known by
1940, all being of simple form and several times longer than wide, the
anterior end wider than the posterior and both smoothly rounded, with the
chorion white and smooth. The first‑instar larva lacks the anterior
spiracles. The mature larva of Hypocera incrassata is rather elongated in form and, like many
other parasite species, differs from those that develop as scavengers in the
absence or great reduction of the numerous sensory spines and fleshy
processes upon the cuticle of the body segments. This distinction, however, does not apply in all cases. The body segments of Hypocera are fairly distinct, though somewhat obscured by
supplementary folds. The
buccopharyngeal armature is of three parts, with the mandibular sclerite in
the form of a single stout structure.
The anterior and posterior spiracles are almost identical, are
slightly elevated, and have four oval openings. The larva of S.
cocciphila is more robust in
form and bears a transverse row of small setae dorsally and laterally on
each body segment. In Melaloncha romnai, the body segments bear a fine pubescence and a
varying number of long, slender fleshy processes dorsally and laterally. The posterior spiracles are simple and
circular in form. In most species of
the family, these have four openings, whereas the anterior spiracles have
only two. For a detailed study of the
morphology of phorid larvae, the reader is referred to Keilin (19lla), who
described the larvae of several scavengerous species. Please CLICK on
picture to view details:
The puparia of this family are readily recognizable
because of their distinctive form (Fig. 174). Instead of being circular in transverse section, the lateral
margins are flattened dorsoventrally.
The greatest thickness occurs in the third or fourth abdominal
segments, and the preceding thoracic and abdominal segments taper
sharply. The dorsum is much less
convex than the ventral side of the body, and this, with the distinct lateral
margins, gives the puparium a boat‑like appearance. In some species such as M. ronnai, the puparium in lateral view is somewhat S‑shaped,
owing to the depression of the dorsum of the abdomen, the concavity of the
anterior ventral area, and the marked convexity of the ventral surface of the
abdomen. The prothoracic cornicles of
the pupa project from the anterior margin of the second thoracic segment;
they may be sma11, or they may equal several segments in length. In some species, emergence from the puparium is
effected by forcing off the operculum, consisting of the dorsal portion of
the first and second and most of the third thoracic segments, in a single
piece; in other species the operculum splits into two parts along the median
line.
References: Please refer to <biology.ref.htm>,
[Additional references may be found at: MELVYL Library ] |
