Quitinized structures of the spermatheca of five Muscidae species (Insecta, Diptera)

Quitinized structures of the spermatheca of five Muscidae species (Insecta, Diptera)

Márcia Souto Couri

Departamento de Entomologia, Museu Nacional. Quinta da Boa Vista, São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, 20940-040 Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Bolsista de Produtividade em Pesquisa do CNPq. E-mail: [e-mail]

ABSTRACT

The morphology of the quitinized structures related to the spermatheca of five Muscidae species is described and illustrated: Atherigona orientalis Schiner, 1868; Stomoxys calcitrans (Linnaeus, 1758); Muscina stabulans (Fallén, 1817); Ophyra solitaria Albuquerque, 1958 and Hydrotaea nicholsoni Curran, 1939.

Key words: Descriptions, illustrations, morphology.

RESUMO

A morfologia das estruturas quitinizadas relacionadas com a espermateca de cinco espécies de Muscidae é descrita e ilustrada: Atherigona orientalis Schiner, 1868; Stomoxys calcitrans (Linnaeus, 1758); Muscina stabulans (Fallén, 1817); Ophyra solitaria Albuquerque, 1958 e Hydrotaea nicholsoni Curran, 1939.

Palavras chave: Descrições, ilustrações, morfologia.

COURI (1987) contributed to the knowledge of the quitinized structures of the spermathecae of Muscidae species, describing the morphology of 15 species: Biopyrellia bipuncta (Wiedemann, 1830); Musca domestica Linnaeus, 1758; Philornis univittatus Dodge, 1968; Charadrella malacophaga Lopes, 1938; Cyrtoneurina polystigma (Wulp, 1896); Neomuscina neosimilis Snyder, 1949; Brontaea debilis (Williston, 1896); Graphomyia mexicana Giglio-Tos, 1893; Mydaea plaumani Snyder, 1941; Scutellomusca marginata (Albuquerque, 1954); Dolichophaonia gallicola (Albuquerque, 1958); Phaonia nigriventris (Albuquerque, 1954); Limnophora saeva (Wiedemann, 1830); Coenosia camorinensis Albuquerque, 1956 and Neodexiopsis paulistensis Albuquerque, 1956.

Before this contribution, very little was known on these structures on Muscidae family, where, at the most, the papers brought the illustration of the capsule. However, the taxonomic value of these structures in other Diptera families, has been demonstrated in several contributions (e.g. ARTIGAS 1971, ARTIGAS et al. 1988, ARTIGAS & PAPAVERO 1990, ARTIGAS et al. 1991 in Asilidae, NAGATOMI & LIU 1995, and ARTIGAS 1990 in Mydidae, Panthophtalmidae and Xylophagidae s. lat.; PAPE 1992 in some dipteran families focusing the phylogeny of Tachinidae).

The analysis of the spermatheca and allied structures of the 15 Muscidae species, representing most of the sub-families (COURI 1987) clarified some characters. In other to have a better representation of the family, five other species were dissected: Atherigona orientalis Schiner, 1868; Stomoxys calcitrans (Linnaeus, 1758); Muscina stabulans (Fallén, 1817); Ophyra solitaria Albuquerque, 1958 and Hydrotaea nicholsoni Curran, 1939.

This paper also has the purpose to contribute to further phylogenetic analysis, through the use of the characters related to the spermatheca.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The methodology of dissection and the terminology were the same described in COURI (1987), as well as the diagnostic characters used in the descriptions.

DESCRIPTIONS

Atherigonaorientalis. (Fig. 1), spermathecae: three in number, round, equal sized, surface little corrugate, many pores near base and few pores at apex. Spermathecal ducts: medium sized, one shorter than the two others.

Stomoxyscalcitrans. (Fig. 2), spermatheca: two in number, pear-shaped, equal sized, surface little corrugate, many pores near base. Spermathecal ducts: short, both similar in length.

Muscinastabulans (Fig. 3), spermatheca: three in number, pear-shaped, equal sized, surface very corrugate, many pores near base and near apex. Spermathecal ducts: long, one of them longer than the others.

Ophyrasolitaria (Fig. 4), spermatheca: htree in number, elongate, equal sized, surface very little corrugate, almost smooth; few pores near base and others scattered. Spermathecal ducts: short, one of them longer than the others.

Hydrotaeanicholsoni (Fig. 5), spermatheca: three in number, elongate, equal sized, surface very little corrugate, almost smooth; few pores closer to base. Spermathecal ducts: short, one of them longer than the others.

DISCUSSION

Adding the data in COURI (1987) with the ones herein presented, some patterns at sub-family level could be traced (see also Tab. I).

Atherigoninae (A. orientalis): spermatheca round with pores at base, spermathecal ducts medium.

Muscinae (S. calcitrans, B. bipuncta, M. domestica): pores more concentrate at base of capsules; all spermathecal ducts similar in length.

Azelinae (O. solitaria, H. nicholsoni): spermatheca pear-shaped, with surface almost smooth; pores at base, spermathecal ducts short, with one longer than the others.

Dichaetomyiinae (C. malacophaga, C. polystigma, N. neosimilis): surface of the spermatheca very corrugate, pores at base, spermathecal ducts long, similar in length.

Reinwardtinae (M. stabulans, P. univittatus): surface of the spermatheca very corrugate, pores scaterred, spermathecal ducts long, with one longer than the others.

Phanoninae (D. gallicola, P. nigriventris): surface of the spermatheca very corrugate, spermathecal ducts very long.

Mydaeinae (M. plaumani, G. mexicana, S. marginata, B. debilis): surface of the spermatheca very corrugate, pores at base.

Coenosiinae (L. saeva, C. camorinensis, N. paulistensis): surface of the spermatheca almost smooth, spermathecal ducts very long, similar in length.

Future studies on the phylogeny of the muscids, should test these characters.

Received in 09.IX.2003; accepted in 18.V.2004.

References

• ARTIGAS, J.N. 1971. Las estructuras quitinizadas de la spermatheca y funda del pene de los asilidios y su valor sistematico a traves del studio por taxonomia numerica (Diptera, Asilidae). Gayana Zoologia, Concepción, 18: 1-106.
• ____. 1990. Studies of Mydidae. V. Phylogenetic and biogeographic notes. Key to the american genera and illustrations of spermatheca. Gayana Zoologia, Concepción, 54: 87-116.
• ARTIGAS, J.N. & N. PAPAVERO. 1990. The american genera of Asilidae (Diptera): keys for identification with an atlas of female spermatheca and other morphological details. 5. Sub-family Stidropogoninae G.H. Hardy. Boletim Sociedad Biologique de Concepción, Concepción, 61: 39-47.
• ⁴ARTIGAS, J.N.; N. PAPAVERO & T. PIMENTEL. 1988. The american genera of Asilidae (Diptera): keys for identification with an atlas of female spermatheca and other morphological details. 4. Key to the genera of Laphriinae Macquart (except tribe Atomisiini Hermannn), with the descriptions of three new tribes and five new species. Boletim do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, 4 (2): 211-256.
• ARTIGAS, J.N.; N. PAPAVERO & A.L. SERRA. 1991. The american genera of Asilidae (Diptera): keys for identification with an atlas of female spermatheca and other morphological details. 6. Tribe Atomosiini and a catalogue of the neotropical species. Gayana Zoologia, Concepción, 55 (1): 53-85.
• COURI, M.S. 1987. Morphology of the quitinized structures related to the spermatheca of Muscidae (Insecta, Diptera). Revista Brasileira de Zoologia, Curitiba, 15 (3): 597-603.
• NAGATOMI, A. & N. LIU. 1995. Spermatheca and female terminalia of Pantophthalmidae and Xylophagidae s. lat (Diptera). Annals of the Entomological Society of America, Maryland, 88 (5): 604-623.
• PAPE, T. 1992. Phylogeny of the Tachinidae family-group (Diptera: Calyptratae). Tijdschrift voor Entomologie, Amsterdan, 135: 43-86.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  09 Aug 2004
• Date of issue
  June 2004

History

• Accepted
  18 May 2004
• Received
  09 Sept 2003