Description of the Immature Stages of Paracantha gentilis (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 83(2): 220-229 (1990) ABSTRACT Descriptions are provided of the egg, larvae, and puparium of Paracantha gentilis Hering, a native, stenophagous tephritid which infests the capitula of thistles. Detailed examination of larvae led to the discovery of a median oral lobe between the mouth hooks. This is the first structure of this kind described for Tephritidae. Two sensory structures on the anterior lobes of P. gentilis also were discovered, the lateral sensory organ and the pit sensory organ. In comparing the anterior sensory apparatus of P. gentilis larvae with those in Anthomyiidae, Calliphoridae, Drosophilidae, Muscidae, and Syrphidae, striking similarities were apparent. Photographs that illustrate the development of the spiracular system of the puparial stage are the first offered for a nonfrugivorous tephritid.