December 2023
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210 Reads
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3 Citations
Keds (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) are a very specific and undoubtedly interesting family of ectoparasitic dipterans. A morphometric analysis of the setae of Lipoptena fortisetosa (Maa, 1965) revealed considerable variability, with many setae often missing in each specimen. Therefore, it is advisable to select a smaller number of landmarks that are consistently present in all individuals. The analysis of the location of such head and thorax landmarks in L. fortisetosa indicated a significantly higher variability in females. The "ideal" individual is always characterized by 6 setae on the head and 22 on the thorax (4 humeral setae, 4 laterocentral setae, 8 postalar setae and 6 scutellar setae).