File: <chama1.ima.htm> [For educational purposes only] Terminology Glossary <Principal Natural
Enemy Groups > <Citations> |
Immature Stages
of Chamaemyidae
Detailed information on immature stages of Chamaemyidae
(= Ochthiphilidae) is being acquired.
However, Martelli (1908) studied Filippia
oleae Costa in Italy. He
found that the entire contents of the host=s egg sac was consumed by a single
larva, and the cycle from egg to adult covered 30 days. He reported 4-5 generations per year. A Leucopis
species was studied by Cherian (1933).
This is a predator of aphids in India. The egg is 0.36 mm long, white and ribbed longitudinally. The 1st instar larva lacks integumentary
hairs, while the mature form has several fleshy processes on each body
segment. The posterior spiracles of
all instars are borne on stalked processes, which are most pronounced on the
mature larva and the puparium. Before
pupation, the larva exudes a large quantity of mucilaginous material which
darkens quickly and firmly attaches the puparium to the substratum. The egg, larval, and pupal stages cover
2-4, 4-5 and 5-7 days, respectively. Please CLICK on picture to view details: In Leucopis bella
Lw. And L. griseola Fall in North America,
Maple (Clausen 1940) found the eggs to measure ca. 0.5 by 0.16 mm, with the
anterior end somewhat pointed. They
are pearly white with the surface bearing longitudinal ridges. They are laid singly among the egg mass or
colonies of the host and hatch in 3-4 days.
There are 3 larval instars in L.
bella. The first is white in color, later
becoming reddish, broadest in the abdominal region and bluntly rounded
posteriorly, and it tapers considerably toward the head. The integument is bare. The posterior spiracles are simple and
borne on prominent conical processes, and the anterior spiracles are
minute. The 3rd instar larva (Fig.
192A) is 5.0 mm long and clothed only with minute setae. The posterior spiracles (Fig. 192C) are
borne on long and almost cylindrical processes, which are widely separated,
diverging and directed dorsad. Each
spiracle consists of 3 curved finger-like projections, each of which bears an
opening at the apex. The larva of L. griseola differs from L.
bella by possessing small
fleshy spines on all body segments. In both species the number of molts varies at times,
seemingly due to temperature variations.
Some individuals have only 2 larval instars rather than the usual 3. Pupation occurs among the host egg masses. An incomplete cocoon is spun, which is
composed of a network of coarse threads.
The puparium (Fig. 192D) is dull reddish-brown in color and
indistinctly segmented except for the anterior region (Clausen 1940). The stalked caudal spiracles of the mature
larva persist unchanged, and there are no protruding prothoracic pupal
cornicles. Malloch (1921) described the puparia of several
predatory species from Illinois. The
puparium of L. orbitalis Malloch has minute
4-branched anterior spiracles, and the caudal pair are borne on short, stout
stalks lying closely adherent to the substratum on which the puparium is
formed. In Leucopomyia pulvinariae
Malloch, the posterior spiracles are very small and sessile, differing in
this respect from those described for other species of this family. Most species have the ventral side of the
puparium somewhat flattened, and in some the dorsum is depressed (Clausen
1940). References: Please refer to <biology.ref.htm>,
[Additional references may be
found at: MELVYL Library ] |