Posterior spiracles of fourth instar larvae of four species of phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) under scanning electron microscopy

• Main Authors: Pessoa Felipe Arley Costa, Queiroz Raul Guerra de, Ward Richard Douglas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde 2000-01-01
• Series: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz.
• Subjects: phlebotomine sand fly larvae; spiracle; scanning electron microscopy; Ceará; Brazil
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0074-02762000000500013
• ISSN: 0074-0276; 1678-8060

In the present study, posterior spiracles of laboratory-reared fourth instar larvae of Lutzomyia longipalpis, L. migonei, L. lenti, and L. whitmani (Diptera: Psychodidae) of the State of Ceará, Brazil, were examined under scanning electron microscopy. The number of papillae of spiracles examined varied according to the species examined, but no intraspecific differences were found. The importance of this structure to sand fly larva identification and phylogeny is commented.