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The External Anatomy of the Horse-Fly (Tabanus Atratus Fab. Diptera; Tabanidae) W

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The External Anatomy of the Horse-Fly (Tabanus Atratus Fab. Diptera; Tabanidae) W University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 1924 The external anatomy of the horse-fly (Tabanus atratus Fab. diptera; tabanidae) W. Stanley Bromley University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses Bromley, W. Stanley, "The external anatomy of the horse-fly T( abanus atratus Fab. diptera; tabanidae)" (1924). Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014. 1356. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses/1356 This thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE EXTERNAL ANATOMY OF THE HORSE-FLY STANLEY W. BROMLEY , A /Thfy tfoe4 potAo he loaned $ / out&l* the library /bull^W foi/this , / purpose, tase^hje/ cfqp^/itypi' i/y ^fyeWe |<fepa*ti^!n/depa*tijrie<i \tth&re'/ the wort the -thesis Uvis cj$/n LIBRARY OF THE J863* DATE DUE ^1972 UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LIBRARY MORK 3234 M268 1924 B868 cop.2 THE EXTERNAL ANATOMY OP THE HORSE-PLY flABANUS ATKATUS FAB. DIPTERA; TABANIDAE) STANLEY W. BROMLEY A Tresis fitted In Partial Fulfilment of the Retirements for the Degree of Master of Soienoe Massachusetts agricultural college amherst, mass. 1984 THE EXTERNAL ANATOMY OF THE HORSE-FLY TABAOTJS ATRATUS FAB. DIPTERA; TABAFIDAE Stanley W. Bromley INTRODUCTION The marvelous advances made during the last deoade in discovering the part played by insects in the trans- mission of disease have naturally lead to a more detailed investigation of the structure of the insects themselves. The Diptera, containing so many forms implicated in this activity, have afforded a rich field for research, and considerable attention has been given in recent years to the detailed morphology of many forms, the culicid and musooid flies in particular. Progress on the interpre- tation of the external anatomy of these insects has "been made principally on the mouthparts in the case of the blood-sucking flies and on the genitalia for specific differentiations in the case of the noscuitoes. Work on other structures has been neglected to a oertain extent. In other groups careful work has been done on the genitalia in the case of the Syrphidae (Metoalf »21), and there have been recent works in which certain struc- tures of Dipterous insects have been horaologized with the corresponding structures of lower insects. Important con- tributions have been made in this country by Peterson (»16) -2- in homo log i zing the head structurec throughout the order; fey Comstock and Needham (1898-1899) and Comstock (1918) in homologizing wing structure and venation throughout all the orders, and fey Young (1921) in homologizing parte of thorax and afedoraen, while the works of Crami ton and Snodgrass have feeun of great value in homologizing the thoracic scler- ites, legs, and genitalia of the Diptera with those of ether orders. Nowhere, however, has a single species feeen considered and treated fully in the light of the most recent morphologi- cal interpretations. Hence it appeared desiratole that a anatomy paper dealing with the complete detailed external time of a large, common, characteristic, and at the aaa* hand rather generalized member of the order should fee at and with that end in view the following paper was prepared. While this paper iB esentially a study in morphology application into a an effort has feeen made to toroaden its which the reference for taxonoralc study of the family to used in species under consideration feelongs. The terms given in taxonomic work on this group have therefore feeen comparison with the terras used fey morphologists. MATERIAL AND METHODS was the oommon The Dipteron selected for this work afe. , chosen feecause of felack horse-fly ( Tafeanus atratus_F ) ite large size, availafeility and wide distrifeution. alcoholio Dissections were made from both dried and specimen, boiling for specimens. In the case of a dried brought about sufficient two or three minutes in water manipulation and to bring softening °f -membrane to allow membrane. Further out differentiation of plates and and was obtained by softening was necessary in some cases parts to a boil in lO^otaesium just bringing the specimen or allowed to continue as hydroxide. Boiling ahould not be potassium hydroxide cause, it causes distortion. The specimen is left in too long, fading out of chitin if the prevent this. bdnoe care must be taken to hydroxide solution on the The action of the potassium is a trace left on the speci- chitin will continue if there To avoid this, the men after it is placed in alcohol. after removing from potassium material was washed in water alcohol to which a few drops of hydroxide and placed in 70* The acid neutralizes what- glacial acetic acid were added. hydroxide may have been left in ever traces of potassium of the arrests further dissolution the specimen and thus chitin. neoeeeary for examining A .trons Illumination wae tM* high wae fumiehed by a Spenoer the dieeeotlons. This watt - 100 volt). Thi. power Maad. mioro.cope lamp (400 epeoimen which wae fooueed on the threw a powerful light -4- by a converging lens. TERMIHOLiXJY in the Terms applied toy the taxonomist to structures cases been Diptera, as in every other order, have in many previous- morphologically inaccurate in that they have been structures which they ly apilied to other structures or to is the term really are not. An example of the latter oase post-soutellum "metanotum" in use among systematists for the terms, however, have per- of the meeothorax. Many of these become well establish- sisted in literature until they have it has been the policy in ed. Since this is the case, standing use as pre- this work to retain any term of long is too flagrantly ferable, except where the terminology presenting the term in use in error, at the same time way it is hoped that a little among morphologists. In this relationship between may be contributed toward a closer structure and its employment the actual homology of the as a taxonomio character. terminology must of The development of a uniform the gradual acceptance necessity be of slow growth but in the fundamental structures of such a terminology for Different terms for all groups cf insects is certain. are necessary and accept- different group modifications throughout the class and able, but homologous structures the same names. even the phylum should bear ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The preparation of this pater was undertaken under the direction of Dr. G. C. Crarapton, to whom the author is very grateful for the many valuable suggestions and various helps that he has given, and for the use of his excellent library of works on insect morphology. To Dr. H. T. Fernald of material the writer is deeply indebted for the obtaining suggestions per- for study, for many helpful criticisms and over of taining to the drawings, and for the careful going terminology, the manuscript resulting in a smoother THE HEAD disc- like, The head of Tabanua atratus is large and roughly convex and the anterior or cephalic aspect being slightly concave. The the posterior or caudal aspect being two sexes, differences exhibited between the heads of the well as in particularly in the eyes and mouthparts as structures of the general contour, are quite marked. The groupings; those form- head will be considered under two and those belonging to the ing a part of the head capsule mouthparts. Tfoe head capsule . fixed structures of oj2m o^ej ex.(c.e.) are The large J i2 £ dorso-luteral position the head capsule. They occupy a three-fourths of its cephalic in the head and form about quite distinctly separated aspect. They are dichoptic or or contiguous in the male. in the female and are holoptic m thte latter sex, the facets on the upper portion are female much larger than those on the lower while in the absent in all facets are of uniform size. The ocelli are indication of an both sexes. Furthermore , there is no Dipterous ocellar tubercle such as is present in many insects. appendage b of The antennae (a)are movable isolated seven segments and the head capsule. They consist of fossae (a.f.) are inserted in the membranous antennal shape. The iroximal The segment b differ in size and second the pedi- segment is termed the scape (sc.). the segments compose cel (pd.). while the five remaining segment of the flagellum the fla*ellum (fl). The firet In fact, it is the is greatly modified and enlarged. bifurcate, the lower largest segment of the antenna. It is or "annuli", closely lobe bearing four small segments one. approximated, so that they appear to be head capsule are the The external sclerites of the genae. post-ftenae, gula.^occiEut vertex , frorito-ciffieus, sclerite of the head capsule^ and labium | Although a true with the mouth-parte because The labruxn will be discussed them. The limits of many of its close association with are indefinite and the of the sclerites of the head regions rather than names have been applied to general to clearly defined areas. The vortex (v) is u dorsal area of the head between the compound eyes. It is divided into an anterior and a posterior portion. The anterior portion is divided by a vertical suture into two areas in which the antennal fossae are located. This vertical suture, which is not visible in the posterior vertex, is the stem of the epicranial suture. The anterior vertex (a.v. ) also bears a prominenoe at the base of each antenna which ie known as the subcallus (sbc).
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