Exceptional larval morphology of nine Anastrepha species confirm proposed relationships within the mucronota group (Diptera: Tephritidae).

Comprising more than 300 species, Anastrepha is the most diverse and economically important genus of Tephritidae in the American tropics. Multiple species are polyphagous, attacking crops such as mango, citrus, and other commercial fruits. Anastrepha taxonomy is predominantly based on the adult females, and the third instar larvae of only 29 species have been described. To contribute to better understanding of the interspecific and intraspecific variation among species in the mucronota species group and facilitate phylogenetic studies, we integrate molecular and morphological techniques to further confirm the identity and describe third instars. Morphological structures such as the facial mask, cephaloskeleton and spiracles are described using optical and scanning electron microscopy. A summary of comparative measurements of larvae of the mucronota group is provided. Larval-adult associations and the identifications of described larvae were confirmed using DNA barcodes. Morphological analysis indicated that nine species show variation in characters of the oral ridges and accessory plates (posterior margins entire, dentate, or fringed), preoral organ and adjacent secondary lobes, and cirri useful to distinguish larvae within the mucronota group and to differentiate the group from larvae of other species previously described in the genus. The fringed pattern of the posterior margins of the oral ridges and accessory plates is a synapomorphy for the group, except for A. aphelocentema. These results suggest that these features-rich morphological structures place the nine species into three groups and would be useful to investigate in other species to further resolve the phylogenetic relationships within the mucronota species group./