Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The internal female genitalia of Aulacigaster (Diptera: Aulacigastridae)—description and phylogenetic analysis

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Organisms Diversity & Evolution Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The internal female genitalia of 22 species of Aulacigaster are studied, covering all species groups as defined by Rung and Mathis (Smithson. Contrib. Zool., 633, 1–132, 2011). The method of embedding freshly dissected material in polyvinyl lactophenol with an admixture of chlorazol black E is far superior to results achieved by maceration in potassium hydroxide and allows the detection of delicate structures previously unnoticed. A general description of the internal female genitalia introduces all relevant structures and their variation within the genus. Establishing the presence and the multi-chambered condition of the ventral receptacle in Aulacigastridae constitutes a major result. Another important finding pertains to the presence of a ventral sclerotized ring in the posteroventral wall of the vagina, which had not been described in Aulacigastridae before. The variable characters are coded across the studied species and are subjected to a phylogenetic analysis in combination with the character set of Rung and Mathis (Smithson. Contrib. Zool., 633, 1–132, 2011). The resulting topology is used to reconstruct ancestral character states and to discuss intrafamilial character state changes at and above the species group level. Information extracted from the internal female genitalia corroborates and adds resolution to the results of previous analyses that employed characters of the external morphology and the male terminalia. Brief per species descriptions and additional illustrations are placed in the electronic supplementary material.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barraclough, D. A. (1993). The Afrotropical species of Aulacigaster Macquart (Diptera: Aulacigastridae: Aulacigastrinae). Annals of the Natal Museum, 34(1), 31–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caloren, D. C., & Marshall, S. A. (1998). A revision of the New World species of Clusiodes Coquillett (Diptera: Clusiidae). Studia Dipterologica, 5(2), 261–321.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carr, M., Cotton, S., Földvári, M., & Kotrba, M. (2006). A description of a new species of Diasemopsis (Diptera, Diopsidae) from the Comoro Islands with morphological, molecular and allometric data. Zootaxa, 1211(1), 1–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farris, J. S. (1969). A successive approximations approach to character weighting. Systematic Biology, 18(4), 374–385.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fritz, A. H., & Turner, F. R. (2002). A light and electron microscopical study of the spermathecae and ventral receptacle of Anastrepha suspensa (Diptera: Tephritidae) and implications in female influence of sperm storage. Arthropod Structure & Development, 30(4), 293–313.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hardy, D. E., & Delfinado, M. D. (1980). 13. Diptera: Cyclorrhapha III, series Schizophora, section Acalypterae, exclusive of family Drosophilidae. Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hennig, W. (1956). Neue neotropische Acalyptrata aus dem Deutschen Entomologischen Institut (Diptera: Acalyptrata). Beiträge zur Entomologie, 6(1–2), 146–154.

  • Hennig, W. (1969). Neue Gattungen und Arten der Acalyptratae. The Canadian Entomologist, 101(6): 589–633.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hennig, W. (1973). 31. Diptera (Zweiflügler). In W. G. Kükenthal (Ed.), Handbuch der Zoologie: eine Naturgeschichte der Stämme des Tierreiches. Bd. 4, Arthropoda: Hälfte 2, Insecta: T. 2, Spezielles. Berlin: De Gruyter.

  • Kotrba, M. (1993). Das Reproduktionssystem von Cyrtodiopsis whitei Curran (Diopsidae, Diptera) unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der inneren weiblichen Geschlechtsorgane. Bonner Zoologische Monographien, 33, 1–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kotrba, M. (1994). The ventral receptacle of the acalyptrate Schizophora: from fertilization chamber to sperm-storage organ. Abstracts, Third International Congress of Diperology, Guelph, 114.

  • Kotrba, M. (2000). 1.3. Morphology and terminology of the female postabdomen. In L. Papp & B. Darvas (Eds.), Contributions to a manual of Palaearctic Diptera 1 (pp. 75–84). Budapest: Science Herald.

  • Kotrba, M. (2016). The female reproductive tract of Grallipeza sp. A (Diptera: Micropezidae)—large ventral receptacle substitutes for spermathecae convergently in small and widely separated dipteran clades. Organisms Diversity & Evolution, 16(3), 525–532.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kotrba, M., & Baptista, A. R. (2002). The internal female reproductive tract of Opomyzidae (Diptera, Schizophora). Studia dipterologica, 9(1), 57–71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kotrba, M., Heß, M., & Dallai, R. (2016). Giant spermatozoa of Diasemopsis (Diopsidae, Diptera)–structural, ultrastructural and functional aspects. Arthropod Structure & Development, 45(1), 42–56.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kotrba, M., & Mathis, W. N. (2009). The internal female reproductive tract of the enigmatic genus Risa (Diptera: Schizophora: Ephydroidea) and its phylogenetic implications. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 111(3), 627–641.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lonsdale, O. (2013). Review of the families Tanypezidae and Strongylophthalmyiidae, with a revision of Neotanypeza Hendel (Diptera: Schizophora). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 641, 1–60.

  • Mathis, W. N., & Freidberg, A. (1994). A review of north American Aulacigaster Macquart (Diptera: Aulacigastridae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 96(4), 583–598.

    Google Scholar 

  • McAlpine, D. K. (1983). A new subfamily of Aulacigastridae (Diptera: Schizophora), with a discussion of aulacigastrid classification. Australian Journal of Zoology, 31(1), 55–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McAlpine, J. F. (1989). Phylogeny and classification of the Muscomorpha. In J. F. McAlpine (Ed.), Manual of Nearctic Diptera 3 (pp. 1397–1518). Ottawa: Research branch, Agriculture Canada, monograph 32.

  • Meier, R., Kotrba, M., & Barber, K. N. (1997). A comparative study of the egg, first-instar larva, puparium, female reproductive system, and natural history of Curtonotum helvum (Curtonotidae, Ephydroidea, Diptera). American Museum Novitates, 3219, 1–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meigen, J. W. (1830). Systematische Beschreibung der bekannten europäischen zweiflügeligen Insekten 6. Hamm: Schulz-Wundermann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nonidez, J. F. (1920). The internal phenomena of reproduction in Drosophila. The Biological Bulletin, 39(4), 207–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Papp, L. (1998). The Palaearctic species of Aulacigaster Macquart (Diptera, Aulacigastridae). Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 43(3), 225–234.

    Google Scholar 

  • Papp, L. (2008). Description of the immature stages and the adult female of Aulacigaster africana, the first known for the Afrotropical Aulacigastridae (Diptera: Schizophora). African Invertebrates, 49(2), 227–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pattarini, J. M., Starmer, W. T., Bjork, A., & Pitnick, S. (2006). Mechanisms underlying the sperm quality advantage in Drosophila melanogaster. Evolution, 60(10), 2064–2080.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pitnick, S., Marrow, T., & Spicer, G. S. (1999). Evolution of multiple kinds of female sperm-storage organs in Drosophila. Evolution, 53(6), 1804–1822.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Puniamoorthy, N., Kotrba, M., & Meier, R. (2010). Unlocking the "black box": Internal female genitalia in Sepsidae (Diptera) evolve fast and are species-specific. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 10(1), 1–21.

  • Roháčeck, J. (1996). Revision of palaearctic Stiphrosoma, including the Anthomyza laeta-group (Diptera: Anthomyzidae). European Journal of Entomology, 93(1), 89–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roháčeck, J., & Barber, K. N. (2008). New reduced-winged species of Mumetopia, with analysis of the relationships of this genus, Chamaebosca and allied genera (Diptera: Anthomyzidae). Acta Societatis Zoologicae Bohemicae, 72(3–4), 191–215.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rung, A., Mathis, W. N., & Papp, L. (2005). Curiosimusca, gen. nov., and three new species in the family Aulacigastridae from the Oriental Region (Diptera: Opomyzoidea). Zootaxa, 1009, 21–36.

  • Rung, A., & Mathis, W. N. (2011). A revision of the genus Aulacigaster Macquart (Diptera: Aulacigastridae). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 633, 1–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz Jr., P. H. (1965). Reproductive system of the eye gnat Hippelates pusio (Diptera: Chloropidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 58(3), 298–303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Solinas, M., & Nuzzaci, G. (1984). Functional anatomy of Dacus oleae Gmel. female genitalia in relation to insemination and fertilization processes. Entomologica, 19, 135–165.

  • Sturtevant, A. H. (1925). The seminal receptacles and accessory glands of the Diptera, with special reference to the Acalypterae. Journal of the New York Entomological Society, 33(4), 195–215.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sturtevant, A. H. (1926). The seminal receptacles and accessory glands of the Diptera, with special reference to the Acalypterae (continued). Journal of the New York Entomological Society, 34(1), 1–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swofford, D. L. (2002). PAUP*: phylogenetic analysis using parsimony (* and other methods), version 4.0a (build 164) for 32-bit Microsoft (built on Nov 1 2018 at 19:32:34). Sunderland: Sinauer Associates.

  • Wheeler, T. A. (2000). Systematics of Mallochianamyia Santos-Neto (= Gayomyia Malloch), an unplaced genus of Neotropical acalyptrate flies (Diptera: Schizophora). Insect Systematics & Evolution, 31(2), 209–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiegmann, B. M., Trautwein, M. D., Winkler, I. S., Barr, N. B., Kim, J.-W., Lambkin, C., Bertone, M. A., Cassel, B. K., Bayless, K. M., Heimberg, A. M., Wheeler, B. M., Peterson, K. J., Pape, T., Sinclair, B. J., Skevington, J. H., Blagoderov, V., Caravas, J., Kutty, S. N., Schmidt-Ott, U., Kampmeier, G. E., Thompson, F. C., Grimaldi, D. A., Beckenbach, A. T., Courtney, G. W., Friedrich, M., Meier, R. & Yeates, D. K. (2011). Episodic radiations in the fly tree of life. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108, 5690–5695.

  • Wiegmann, B. M., & Yeates, D. K. (2017). Phylogeny of Diptera . In A. H. Kirk-Spriggs & B. J. Sinclair (Eds.), Manual of Afrotropical Diptera 1 (pp. 253–265). Suricata 4. Pretoria: South African National Biodiversity Institute.

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Wayne Mathis (US National Museum of Natural History) for his collegial supervision and cooperation during many years of dipterological studies relevant to this work. Allen Norrbom (US National Museum of Natural History) kindly provided pinned material from species that could not be collected.

Funding

The earliest stages of this work were supported by a stipend of the German Scientific Foundation to MK (DFG, Ko 1369/1–2). Much of the material was collected on a field trip to the Tiputini Biodiversity Station (Ecuador) funded by a grant from the Partnerships for Enhancing Expertise in Taxonomy Program, National Science Foundation (PEET 952–1773).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. SNSB - Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Münchhausenstr. 21, 81247, Munich, Germany

    Marion Kotrba

  2. Plant Pest Diagnostics Branch, California Department of Food & Agriculture, 3294 Meadowview Road, Sacramento, CA, 95832-1448, USA

    Alessandra Rung

Authors
  1. Marion Kotrba
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alessandra Rung
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marion Kotrba.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Figure 1_ESM

Dissections of Aulacigaster species for which fresh material was available. a A. vespertina. b A. erica. c A. rufifemur. d A. trifasciata. e A. leucopeza. ag accessory gland, ce cercus, co common oviduct, lo lateral oviduct, oo oocyte in ovary, sp spermatheca, sr sclerotized ring, va vagina, vr ventral receptacle. All figures to same scale. Bar: 250 μm (PNG 7927 kb)

High Resolution Image (TIF 90353 kb)

Figure 2_ESM

Ventral sclerotized ring of the studied Aulacigaster species. a A. bromeliae. b A. korneyevi. c A. tibanae. d A. vespertina. e A. melanoleuca. f A. stenoptera. g A. bella. h A. sp. i A. femorata. k A. peruana. l A. grimaldii. m A. gaimarii. n A. minuta. o A. albifacies. p A. belize. q A. erica. r A. rufifemur. s A. trifasciata. t A. mcalpinei. u A. neoleucopeza. v A. leucopeza. All figures to same scale. Bar: 100 μm (PNG 137 kb)

High Resolution Image (TIF 11801 kb)

Figure 3_ESM

Vagina of the studied Aulacigaster species where additional sclerotized structures of the vagina wall occur. a A. bromeliae. b A. korneyevi. c A. tibanae. d A. vespertina. e A. melanoleuca. f A. formosa. g A. peruana. h A. albifacies. i A. belize. k A. erica. l A. rufifemur. m A. trifasciata. bspd sclerotized base of spermathecal duct, me membranous basal extension of spermathecal duct, pscl pair of small sclerites, scl sclerotization of vagina wall, sr sclerotized ring, vr ventral receptacle. All figures to same scale. Bar: 100 μm (PNG 8496 kb)

High Resolution Image (TIF 89115 kb)

Figure 4_ESM

Spermathecae of the studied Aulacigaster species. a A. bromeliae. b A. korneyevi. c A. tibanae. d A. vespertina. e A. melanoleuca. f A. stenoptera. g A. bella. h A. sp. i A. femorata. k A. formosa. l A. peruana. m A. grimaldii. n A. gaimarii. o A. minuta. p A. albifacies. q A. belize. r A. erica. s A. rufifemur. t A. trifasciata. u A. mcalpinei. v A. neoleucopeza. w A. leucopeza. All figures to same scale. Bar: 100 μm (PNG 6758 kb)

High Resolution Image (TIF 73535 kb)

Figure 5_ESM

Ventral receptacle of the studied Aulacigaster species. a A. bromeliae. b A. vespertina. c A. melanoleuca. d A. stenoptera. e A. bella. f A. sp. g A. femorata. h A. formosa. i A. peruana. k A. grimaldii. l A. gaimarii. m A. minuta. n A. albifacies. o A. belize. All figures to same scale. Bar: 100 μm (PNG 8973 kb)

High Resolution Image (TIF 96267 kb)

Figure 6_ESM

Ventral receptacle of the studied Aulacigaster species. a A. erica. b A. rufifemur. c A. trifasciata. d A. mcalpinei. e A. neoleucopeza. f A. leucopeza. All figures to same scale, same as in Fig. 5_ESM. Bar: 100 μm (PNG 5526 kb)

High Resolution Image (TIF 65020 kb)

13127_2019_425_MOESM7_ESM.docx

Per species descriptions_ESM per species descriptions of all studied Aulacigaster species with additional photos, individual measurements, and details not entered in the general description and phylogenetic analysis. (DOCX 47.6 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kotrba, M., Rung, A. The internal female genitalia of Aulacigaster (Diptera: Aulacigastridae)—description and phylogenetic analysis. Org Divers Evol 20, 123–140 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13127-019-00425-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13127-019-00425-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation