Musculature of the Ovipositor of Timia erythrocephala Wiedemann, 1824 (Diptera, Ulidiidae)

摘要

AbstractThe structure of the ovipositor sclerites and musculature was investigated inTimia erythrocephalaWiedemann, 1824 (Ulidiidae), whose larvae are saprophagous. The ovipositor musculature of this species is compared with that of the previously investigated Tephritidae. Based on morphological analysis, characters common to Ulidiidae and primitive Tephritidae and supposedly plesiomorphic for Tephritidae are revealed. Abdominal segment VII inTimiais compact and consists of tergite and stemite VII fused into a syntergostemite with a visible suture. The preserved suture between the stemite and tergite of segment VII should be regarded as an intermediate state in the process of syntergostemite formation in tephritoid flies, which was completed already inLenitovena.]]>