Musculature of the male abdominal segments and terminalia of Tachina nupta Rondani (Diptera: Tachinidae)

Abstract

The abdominal and pregenital segments and genitalia were studied in males of Tachina nupta Rondani, 1859. The examined species is very similar in the structure of the sclerites and muscles of their terminal segments to Calliphora erythrocephala Meigen, 1826 previously studied by R. Salzer. Despite the same set of pregenital muscles, a completely membranous tergite VI was found in Tachina in contrast to Calliphora. The discovery of membranous tergite VI in Tachina nupta indicates that it was not included in the syntergosternite VII +VIII. The membranous tergite VI, as well as the reduced set of muscles of the phallapodeme (absence of muscles of postgonites) in Tachina compared with Calliphora, indicates the result of apomorphic reduction in Tachina. Descriptions and figures of the genital sclerites and muscles of Tachina nupta are given.

The Phylogenetic Relationships of the Fanniidae within the Muscoid Grade (Diptera: Calyptrata) Based on the Musculature of the Male Terminalia

“…Within the Oestroidea that have been studied, the largest set of muscles of the hypandrial complex was found by Salzer [43] in Calliphora erythrocephala (Meigen, 1826), and this set was the same as in Delia platura. The same set of muscles of the hypandrial complex was also found in Tachina [44] except for a pair of postgonite muscles M 2 4 , which is absent in this genus.…”

“…The Fanniidae have three pairs of muscles M 19 (paired M 19 1 and unpaired M 19 2 ) as do primitive Muscidae [39], Tachina [44] and Calliphora [43]. This character state we consider plesiomorphic for the Calyptrata.…”

“…This ring includes syntergosternite VI + VII + VIII, muscles ITM 5a and ITM 5b extending from the tergite V and muscles ISM 5 extending from sternite V to this ring, as well as muscles M 19 1 and M 19 2 extending from this ring to the epandrium and muscles M 18 extending to the hypandrium. In the remaining muscoids, as well as in the Calliphoridae [43] and Tachinidae [44], tergite VI, syntergosternite VII + VIII, sternite VI and sternite VII are clearly developed to varying degrees.…”

“…The main difference is in the shape and position of the cercal muscles M 26. In Fannia, as well as in Tachina Meigen, 1803 [44], the muscles M 26 extend from the mediobasal parts of the epandrium to the lateral parts of the basal margin of the cerci (Figure 4A). In the Muscidae, the muscles M 26 are shorter and more fan-shaped; they extend from distolateral parts of the epandrium (distal to muscles M 3 and M 4) to more lateral cercal outgrowths.…”

Musculature of the male abdominal segments and terminalia of Zaphne barbiventris (Zetterstedt, 1845) and Delia fabricii (Holmgren, 1872) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae)

“…In previous studies by the authors, the apomorphic transformations of the muscles of the pregenital segments of males important in the phylogenetic branching of the Calyptratae have been identified. It was shown that characters of sclerites and muscles of the pregenital segments of this group were more important in constructing suprafamily phylogeny than the transformations of the genital sclerites and muscles (Ovtshinnikova et al, 2018, 2019; Ovtshinnikova & Sorokina, 2020, 2021; Sorokina & Ovtshinnikova, 2020, 2022). However, the pregenital muscles have not been thoroughly studied in the Anthomyiidae and the Scathophagidae.…”