Ceratitis capitata

Steck, Gary J. & Ekesi, Sunday, 2015, Description of third instar larvae of Ceratitisfasciventris, C. anonae, C. rosa (FAR complex) and C. capitata (Diptera, Tephritidae), ZooKeys 540, pp. 443-466 : 450-451

Taxon classification Animalia Diptera Tephritidae

Ceratitis capitata Figures 1h, 2h, 3h, 4e-h, 5h, 6h, 7h, 8h, 9h

Diagnosis of third instar.

Medium-sized muscidiform larvae with mandibular tooth ventrally grooved, minute subapical mandibular tooth present or absent; with 8-12 oral ridges; accessory plates absent; petal-like secondary stomal lobes present; sclerotized stomal guards absent; dorsal spinules present on segments T1-T3; anterior spiracles with 9-12 tubules in a single sinuous row; base of anterior spiracle cylindrical, ca. half as wide as apical width; posterior spiracles with rimae ca. 3 times longer than wide; spiracular processes mostly unbranched, with narrow bases; caudal ridge present; anal lobes entire or grooved, lobes subequal.

Description of third instar

(differences from Ceratitis rosa description above are noted in bold font). Similar to Ceratitis rosa , except length 3.9-8.7 mm; oral ridges 9-11 (rarely 8 or 12); accessory plates absent; parastomal sclerite straight to curved; CPS length 1.06-1.11 mm, mandible secondary tooth present or absent, mandible tip to notch 0.53-0.57 mm, dorsal cornu length 0.27-0.43 mm, ventral cornu length 0.69-0.73 mm; mandible length a 0.21-0.23 mm, mandible length b 0.20-0.22 mm, mandible length c 0.14-0.15 mm, mandible height 0.14-0.16 mm; hypopharyngeal sclerite length 0.16-0.17 mm, dorsal arch height 0.25-0.29 mm; anterior spiracle with 9-12 tubules, tubules closely spaced in a single slightly sinuous row; distal width 0.16-0.19 mm (n = 8); segments T1-T3 (rarely A1) with broken rows of weak, conical spinules on dorsal anterior margin; on T1 the spinulose area encircles the body, while on T2-T3 the ventral spinulose area is separated from that of the dorsum; dorsal spinules absent on A1-A8; posterior spiracle rimae 0.07-0.08 mm long; spiracular processes mostly unbranched, numbers of trunks and tips as follows: I (dorsal) (6-15, 10-17), II (3-4, 4-5), III (2-6, 4-11), IV (ventral) (2-10, 3-14). Anal lobes entire or grooved, lobes subequal.

Specimens examined.

n = 41 (SEM) + 9 (slide).