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File: <xxxxx.ima.htm> [For educational purposes only] Terminology Glossary <Principal Natural
Enemy Groups > <Citations> |
Immature
Stages of Nemestrinidae
. The eggs of two species of Nemestrinidae, Hiromoneura obscura
Meig. and H. articulata, were described by
1940 (Clausen 1940). That of the
first‑named species is 1.5 mm. long, very slender, and slightly
curved. The color is at first white,
changing during incubation to yellowish‑gray. The egg of H. articulata is somewhat larger,
measuring 2.0 by 0.25 mm., is curved, and has both ends smoothly
rounded. The white color at
deposition changes to bluish after a few days. Please CLICK on picture to view
details:
The first‑instar larva of H. obscura
(Fig. 166), is cylindrical in form and 1.5 mm. in length and has 11 body
segments following the head. A
distinguishing feature of this larva is the occurrence of a pair of long
hooked spines upon the "pseudopods" of the first eight abdominal
segments; the ninth segment has two pairs of smaller size. The hooked points of all of these except
the two pairs on the last segment are directed caudad. They are thought to aid in locomotion in a
looping manner. The last segment also
bears four pairs of rather fleshy spines that nearly equal the segment in
length. The respiratory system
comprises a pair of longitudinal tracheal trunks terminating in small simple
spiracles situated dorsolaterally on the last abdominal segment. Anterior spiracles are lacking. The first‑instar larva of H. articulata
is described and figured by Stuardo, and is identical in all principal
characters with that described above. The second‑instar larva of H. obscura,
as described and figured by Brauer, is elongate‑cylindrical, with the
posterior end of the body broadly rounded.
The integumentary armature of the first instar is lacking. The tracheal system is unchanged, though
the posterior spiracles now have a large central button with a large number
of short linear slits radiating outward in a complete circle. What is presumably the second instar of T. ostracea
was observed by Fuller and is apparently quite similar to that of H. obscura. Anterior
spiracles are lacking, and the posterior spiracles (Fig. 167A) are circular
in form with 9-10 elongated-oval slits radiating from the central button. Potgieter's brief description of the supposed second‑instar
larva of Symmictus costatus reveals a form
entirely different from that of Hirmoneura. This larva possesses a tail approximately
twice the length of the body, and is comparable to that of rat-tailed
Syrphidae; this organ is said to serve as a means of attachment to the
integument of the host and presumably functions in respiration. This adaptation is so markedly at variance
with the known larval forms of this and all closely related families that a
more thorough study would be highly desirable. If a respiratory connection is made by means of an opening in
the integument, it would be expected that an integument funnel, or
respiratory sheath would be formed.
So far as is known at present this is found only in the Tachinidae and
a few Sarcophagidae, with some indication of its occasional appearance in the
Cyrtidae. The mature third‑instar larva of H. obscura, as described by Handlirsch, is 22 mm. in
length and measures 5.0 mm. at its widest point. The segmentation is distinct, and the abdominal segments bear
various ridges, welts, and folds. The
caudal segment is more heavily sclerotized than those preceding it and bears
fleshy transverse dorsal and ventral lobes or ridges. The posterior spiracles are situated on
the inner side of the upper lobe. The
respiratory system has only this one pair of spiracles, which is in marked
contrast to the number found in related families. The paired mouth hooks are short but stout, and the three
pharyngeal plates are long and slender. The third instar of T.
ostracea is pale-yellow in
color, 9 to 17 mm. long, and much the widest in the posterior abdominal
region. Each body segment bears one
or two rows of fleshy processes dorsally and ventrally. The posterior spiracles (Fig. 167C) are
circular, with 20 linear slits radiating outward from the central
button. Functional anterior spiracles
are lacking, but vestigial ones are present on the first thoracic to the
seventh abdominal segments. The pupae are similar to those of related families in the head
armature and the hooks and spines borne on the abdomen. In H.
obscura, there are two long,
slender, curved prongs at the anterior ventral margin of the head, and above
them is a pair of conical processes.
The first three abdominal segments bear a ring of forwardly directed
hairs, which occur ventrally on the following segments, also; these latter
segments bear dorsally a transverse row of heavy curved spines, or hooks,
which are likewise directed cephalad.
Distinctly raised spiracles occur on the prothorax and the first 7
abdominal segments. The last
abdominal segment terminates in a pair of large, laterally directed prongs,
of anchor-like form. References: Please refer to <biology.ref.htm>,
[Additional references may be
found at: MELVYL Library ] |
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