The Structure and Development of Two Sex Specific Glands in Male Caribbean Fruit Flies1

Salivary glands of a type previously undescribed from insects occur in adult male Anastrepha suspensa (Loew), the Caribbean fruit fly, but not in females. In males the salivary glands extend into the abdomen, branch into numerous finger-like diverticula, and finally terminate as a large ball of coiled tubules on each side of the abdomen. The ball of tubules grows from a diam of 0.3 mm to 1 mm between day 5 and day 10 of adult life. Sexually dimorphic glands, herein named pleural glands, composed of epidermal cells also occur in adult males. A continuous sheet of these epidermal cells extends from the pleural margin to the edge of the segmented cuticle at the ventral midline in abdominal segments 3, 4, and 5. In adult males these epidermal cells enlarge between day 5 and day 9. The maximum size of cells varies from 25—35 µm height. The epidermal cells in females do not enlarge.