File: <sarco1.ima.htm> [For educational purposes only] Terminology Glossary <Principal Natural
Enemy Groups > <Citations> |
Immature Stages of Sarcophagidae
The eggs of the
Sarcophagidae are all of the membranous type, with the chorion delicate,
transparent, and bearing surface reticulations. The first‑instar larvae of the parasitic species of
Sarcophaga, Blaesoxipha, and other
Sarcophaginae have 11 body segments, each of which bears narrow bands of setae
at both margins. Anterior spiracles
are lacking, and the posterior pair each have two small, circular
openings. The larvae of Miltogramma punctatum Meig. and several
others have been described and figured in great detail by Thompson (1921) and
are representative of the subfamily.
They present no special adaptive characters and are of the general
muscoid type. For a detailed study of
the first‑instar larvae of Sarcophaga,
including some parasitic species, please refer Knipling (1936). The larvae of P.
maculata, C. angustifrons, and related species (Thompson, 1920, 1934)
differ markedly from those of the Sarcophaginae and are distinctly planidiumlike,
with the integument pigmented and armored.
The first‑named species is said to have 12 body segments rather
than the usual 11. The cuticular
armature is well developed and consists of small, rounded protuberances
bearing groups of short, heavy spines, one of which is usually larger than
the others. In Cirillia, the armature consists of small, dark scales,
whereas in Trichogena rubricosa Meig. the somewhat
hemispherical processes that bear the sclerotized plates have also what is
apparently a sensory organ, which is cylindrical and surmounted by a bristle,
at the summit of each. The posterior
spiracles of Parafeburia are
markedly dorsal in position. The
mouth hooks are similar to those of the Sarcophaginae, with two closely
appressed lateral teeth rather than the single median one, whereas the latter
form is found in Trichogena
and Cirillia. There is a single articulation at the
juncture of the anterior and intermediate regions. The antennae of Cirillia,
instead of being conical, are long and spine‑like and arise from a
broad, collar‑like base. Please CLICK on picture to view details: The second‑instar
larvae of the Melanophorinae are quite similar to those of the
Sarcophaginae and have the integument delicate, unpigmented, and with few
setae. They are most readily
distinguished from the preceding instar by the spiracles. The anterior pair is now present; these
are fan‑shaped, usually with 5-7 small rays, each of which is
surmounted by a small aperture. The
posterior spiracles have two vertical parallel slits, of which the inner one
is the shorter. In Parafeburia, the anterior
spiracles are rudimentary; the posterior spiracles of Styloneuria have only a single slit, and those of Trichogena have three. The mature larvae of the parasitic species can
usually be distinguished from those of scavengerous habit by the reduction in
the cuticular processes; the spine bands are narrower or almost absent, and
the fleshy segmental spines or processes are lacking. The median depression of the last
abdominal segment, characteristic of the family, is usually of smaller size,
with the rim more or less smoothly rounded rather than having pronounced
fleshy projections. The body tapers markedly
cephalad, and the posterior abdominal segments are usually broadest. The anterior spiracles of Sarcophaga,
Brachicoma, and Blaesoxipha have 5-7 rays;
there are 14 of these in Agria
mamillata, and Parafeburia has 15-18 papillae
scattered over the surface of the spiracle.
According to Root (1923), who has studied the larval characters of a
series of dung‑ and carrion‑inhabiting species of Sarcophaga, the anterior
spiracles of these forms have 10-35 rays.
The posterior spiracles of all species are set in the median
depression of the last abdominal segment, and each has three elongated or
occasionally oval slits, which are almost vertical and parallel. The buccopharyngeal armature has two articulations, and the
paired mandibular sclerites are curved and usually sharply pointed, though in
Miltogramma punctatum they terminate
irregularly and bluntly. The puparia are usually brown to reddish‑brown
in color, though that of Melanophora
roralis L. is yellow, and
the segmentation is indistinct. The
posterior depression of Blaesoxipha
is nearly closed by smooth, thick lips; this character serves to distinguish
the genus from Sarcophaga. The last abdominal segment of Trichogena is much reduced,
forming a tubercle surmounted by the spiracles. The prothoracic cornicles of the pupa do not protrude through
the puparial wall. The internal pro‑thoracic
spiracles are flattened, are somewhat circular in outline, and have the
papillae arranged in double rows, radiating from the center as in Miltogramma and Trichogena, or in groups as in Styloneuria, Cirillia, and Melanophora. There are several hundred papillae in each
spiracle of Miltogramma; in Cirillia and Melanophora, they are larger
and number only 40 and 30, respectively. References: Please refer to <biology.ref.htm>, [Additional references may be found at: MELVYL Library] |