Using the modern morphometric approach to determine sexual dimorphism of three medically important flies (Order: Diptera) in Thailand

Abstract

Abstract. Chaiphongpachara T, Laojun S. 2019. Using the modern morphometric approach to determine sexual dimorphism of three medically important flies (Order: Diptera) in Thailand. Biodiversitas 20: 1482-1486. This study assessed landmark-based geometric morphometric (GM) approach to determine sexual dimorphism of three medically important flies in Thailand, Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius), Musca domestica (Linnaeus) and Boettcherisca nathani (Lopes). In the wing size analysis, the centroid size (CS) was computed to estimate the wing size. During wing shape analysis, shape variables were analyzed from principal components of partial warp scores calculated after generalized procrustes analysis of coordinates. Non-parametric permutation-based tests (1000 cycles) were used (after Bonferroni correction) at p < 0.05 for statistical comparisons of sizes and shapes between males and females in each fly species. The results of this study, analysis of wing size for sexual dimorphism based on wing CS did not find statistical differences in flies of any type (p > 0.05). However, not the size, the shape of the wings is a common factor used in identification of sexual dimorphism. The wing shape in all species was different between male and female sexes. These results have shown that the GM approach was effective in identifying the sexual dimorphism of C. megacephala, M. domestica and B. nathani, which is one way to help with sex differentiation in cases of incomplete specimens that cannot be classified by morphological methods.

Molecular Identification and Geometric Morphometric Analysis of Haematobosca aberrans (Diptera: Muscidae)

“…The geometric morphometric study was carried out to compare the wing size and wing shape between sexes of H. aberrans . Landmark-based geometric morphometrics has been mostly used in sexual dimorphism studies [ 32 , 33 , 36 ]. In the present study, we revealed a sexual dimorphism in wing shape, indicating that the phenotypic expression of wing shape is a sex-specific difference.…”

“…The landmark-based method uses the coordinates of landmarks to analyse the variation in size and shape, while the outline-based method uses the outline or contour data in the analysis [ 25 , 31 ]. Many studies have used geometric morphometric methods for describing sexual dimorphism in the wing of various insects such as blow flies [ 28 , 32 ], mosquitoes [ 33 , 34 ], moths [ 35 , 36 ], fruit flies [ 37 ] and stomoxyine flies [ 26 ]. Sexual dimorphism in morphological characters is the most interesting source of phenotypic variation in various taxa and has attracted considerable interest in evolutionary biology [ 37 ].…”

The Effectiveness of Betle Leaf (Piper betle L.) Extract as a Bio-pesticide for Controlled of Houseflies (Musca domestica L.)

“…The role of houseflies as mechanical vectors for several diarrhea-causing agents is relatively well-established [3], [6], [12], [13], [14], [15]. The housefly, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), is a vector for over 100 serious pathogens, including typhoid, cholera, salmonellosis, shigellosis, dysentery, anthrax, and parasitic worms [3], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21].…”