A male black fly of Simulium (Simulium) iwatense (Shiraki) (Diptera: Simuliidae) with genitalia-like appendages on abdominal segment 8
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 6, 2025

Author Spotlight: Exploring Bradysia coprophila's Unique Biology – A Guide to Laboratory Maintenance
Published on: April 19, 2024
H Takaoka1, M Fukuda2, Y Otsuka3
1Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre (TIDREC), Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Abstract:
A rare non-sex mosaic abnormality represented by genitalia-like appendages on the ventral surface of abdominal segment 8 of a male black fly collected in Hokkaido, Japan, is reported. The appendages consist of a pair of style-like projections each arising from a coxite-like base, inverted-Y shaped ventral plate-like structure, and isolated round structure. This male was morphologically and molecularly identified as an abnormal form of S. (S.) iwatense (Shiraki), the only species in the Simulium (Simulium) ornatum species-group in Japan, although certain morphological characteristics of this male including the reduced number of uppereye (large) facets and elongate cerci are different from those of S. (S.) iwatense.

