Article

Description of Surface Morphology in Male and Female Genitals of Lixus cardui Olivier, 1807 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Lixinae) a Scanning Electron Microscope Study

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Abstract

The internal genitalia of both sexes of Lixus cardui OLIVIER, 1807 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) were examined by optical and scanning electron microscope (SEM). A detailed description is provided. In lateral view, the aedeagal tube is bented and its lateral surface is strongly sclerotised. In dorsal view, the ostium which fromendophallus (internal sac) goes out, seems clearly. The suroundings of the ostium has little sclerotised membrane. The spermatheca appears like a hook shape. It consists of receptaculum seminis, spermathecal duct and accesory gland.

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... General morphology follows Legalov et al. (2010) and Skuhrovec et al. (2014). Terminology of the genitalia follows Erby and Candan (2010); Gültekin (2013) and Arzanov and Grebennikov (2017). Body oblong with dense light yellowish brown pubescence; rostrum twice the length of head with three elevated carinae and two grooves; pronotum narrow at apex and bisinuated at base, covered with medium granules, middle elevated carina not reach apex or base, above and below the carinae found grooves which densely covered with pubescence; elytra three times longer than the thorax, rounded at apex covered with large granules and obsolete striae. ...
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... The aedeagi is used as an important character in taxonomy. In Curculionidae, several authors used the aedeagi in their investigations, but did not treat specifically the armature of the endophallus [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] . The Endophallus is generally not yet well studied. ...
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