Title
A remarkable species of drosophilid fly (Diptera) with "mandibles"
Title Variants
Alternative:
Drosophilid fly (Diptera) with "mandibles"
Related Titles
Series:
American Museum novitates, no. 4005
By
Grimaldi, David A.
, author
Type
Book
Material
Published material
Publication info
New York, NY, American Museum of Natural History, [2023]
Notes
Caption title.
"December 19, 2023."
A distinctive species in the family Drosophilidae, Drosophila ancora Okada, 1968, is redescribed from specimens from Vietnam, and transferred to the genus Dichaetophora Duda sensu lato. It is exceptional among Diptera for its labellar sclerites that in males have grown into a pair of heavily sclerotized, pointed lobes at the tip of the labellum, producing what appear to be chewing mandibles. This is analogous to the condition in the dolichopodid Melanderia Aldrich, but there it is not sexually dimorphic. The structures are doubtfully used in male-male aggression or in postcopulatory mate guarding. Based on their shapes and fit, it is proposed that the "mandibles" are used by males to grasp the tip of the female oviscapt during courtship or for the male to grasp the female wing edge while mounted.
Subjects
Classification
,
Drosophilidae
,
Flies
,
mandible
Call Number
QL1 .A436 no. 4005 2023
Language
English
Identifiers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1206/4005.1
OCLC:
1415201150
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