A great little ally: revealing the morphology of the immature stages of the aphid pest predator <i>Sphaerophoria rueppellii</i> (Wiedemann, 1830) (Diptera: Syrphidae)

Orengo-Green, José J.; Kanturski, Mariusz; Ricarte, Antonio; Marcos-García, Ma Ángeles

doi:10.1080/24750263.2022.2068683

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…The external anatomical details that appear in the rendered micro-CT images are equivalent to those previously obtained by SEM for S. rueppellii by Orengo et al 14 , with the surface sculpture and precise distribution of thoracic and abdominal sensillae; even the eshy lips in the base and close to the buccal cone ( rst time described here) show a conspicuous median groove. Moreover, the rendered images of the posterior respiratory processes in this study are more detailed than those obtained by SEM.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

“…First, the antennae are clearly separated from the maxillae. The distal part of the antennae appears to be cleft with sensilla at their ends, which is also observed in the SEM images of the antennomaxillary organ of S. rueppellii by Orengo et al 14 and which would correspond to what have been called dorsal and ventral organs 5 , Hartley 11 described it for Eristalis as an antennomaxillary organ ( rst described as "antenno-maxillary complex" by Keilin 51 , and gured for several species by Bathia 18 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…However, although there are studies on different details of the internal structures of the larvae (i.e. : [11][12][13][14][15][16] ), and even a recent publication has used synchrotron-radiation computed tomography to study the larvae of Syrphidae in Eocene forest amber fossils 17 , there are no studies that deal in depth with the complete internal anatomy of the larvae, except the pioneering study by Krüber 16 . In particular, the work of Prof. Madan Lal Bhatia published in the rst half of the 20th century is so far the most detailed compilation of the anatomy of different aphidophagous syrphid species 18 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), which is based on X-rays, allows visualization of the internal anatomy in situ, without the need to dissect the insect; results have been validated by comparing them with classical destructive methodologies 19,20 and it has been used to study the larval digestive and Malpighian tubules of Oestridae 21 Here, using micro-CT it is presented a detailed study of the entire anatomy of the 3rd larval instar (L3) of Sphaerophoria rueppellii (Wiedemann, 1820), a Palearctic species 1 . The species was virtually unknown until recently, when it became commercially available 22,23 and was included in the list of effective agents used in European biocontrol programs against aphids 24 .Bathia 20 under the name of S. avicauda Zetterstedt,1843 (a synonymy of S. rueppelli) described super cially and gured the third instar larva, the cephalic skeleton, prothoracic spiracle, and posterior respiratory processes, and has recently been published on the micromorphology of eggs, third larval instar, and puparium 14 . However, until this study, nothing was known about the internal anatomy of the larvae of this species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Revealing the larval anatomy of the hoverfly Sphaerophoria rueppellii (Wiedemann, 1820) (Diptera, Syrphidae) using micro-computed tomography

Alba-Tercedor,

Marcos-García

2024

Preprint

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Traditionally, the study of anatomy in insects has been based on dissection techniques. Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) is an X-ray-based technique that allows visualization of the internal anatomy of insects in situ and does not require dissections. We report the use of micro-CT scans to study, in detail, the external and internal structures and organs of the third instar larva of the dipteran Syrphidae Sphaerophoria rueppellii, a Palaearctic species included in the list of effective agents used in European biocontrol programs against aphids. Detailed images and videos provided evidence of external morphological characters and an overview of the internal anatomy (musculature, digestive tube, salivary glands, Malpighian tubules, fat bodies, circulatory system, nervous system, cefalofaringeal complex, tentorium, and mouth parts). The study evidenced the following: an external lateroventral complex of muscles that form authentic muscular rings that allow the compression of the body segments in a similar functional way as occurs in annelid worms; the existence of mandibles with prosthecae; the nervous system present a conspicuous distinguishable suboesophageal ganglion; the so-called antennomaxillary organs are the antennae; the maxillae are separate structures, with an articulated maxillary palpus; S. rueppellii has only one pair of Malpighian tubules instead of the two pairs that were thought to be the general rule for Syrphid larvae; and the evidence of an imaginal disc of genitalia in the posterior part of the body, below the rectum, which in male larvae has a clear correspondence with the morphology of the external male genitalia, which allows to differentiate the sexes in the larval stage. This study is the first complete micro-CT reconstruction of the anatomy of a dipteran larva and constitutes a true anatomical atlas of the third instar larvae of S. rueppellii. High-quality rendered images and additional supplementary videos together with a 3D model, suitable for use with mobile devices, are useful tools for future research and as teaching aids.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%