Morphological comparison of second stage larvae of Oestrus ovis (Linnaeus, 1758), Cephalopina titillator (Clark, 1816) and Rhinoestrus usbekistanicus Gan, 1947 (Oestridae) using scanning electron microscopy

Abstract

Second stage larvae of three Oestridae species, Oestrus ovis (Linnaeus, 1758), Cephalopina titillator (Clark, 1816) and Rhinoestrus usbekistanicus (Gan, 1947) were described in detail using scanning electron microscopy. Their morphological features were compared. O. ovis and R. usbekistanicus show several common characteristics which make them quite different from C. titillator. These observations seem to validate the cladogram of adult Oestridae genus established by Papavero (1977).