title: Biology and immature stages of Pherbellia limbata (Diptera: Sciomyzidae), a parasitoid of the terrestrial snail Granaria frumentum.
abstract: The very rare Palaearctic Pherbellia limbata (Meigen, 1830) lives in limestone steppes and other xerothermic habitats in central and southern Europe. For the first time, the egg, first-, second- and third-instar larvae and the puparium are described. Scanning electron micrographs of various morphological features of immature stages are provided. Larvae of P. limbata are parasitoids exclusively of the terrestrial snail Granaria frumentum (Draparnaud, 1801). Results of this study are integrated with those of previous studies of the biology, ecology, immature stages, and mollusc-prey habitat of the other 28 (of 96) Pherbellia species for which life cycles have been completely or partially elucidated. Recent published taxonomic approaches to clarifying the phylogeny of the Sciomyzidae are discussed, particularly those involving DNA analyses of Pherbellia species.
authors.affiliation: Moravian Museum, Department of Entomology, Hviezdoslavova 29a, 627 00 Brno, Czech Republic.; Email: j.nerudova@centrum.cz.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nerudová-Horsáková
authors.affiliation: 7835 Tufton Street, Fishers, Indiana 46038 U.S.A.; Email: billmurphy8@sbcglobal.net.
authors.forename: William L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: Université d'Orléans, Sciences, Laboratoire de biologie des Ligneux et des Grandes Cultures, UPRES EA 1207, BP 6759 - 45067 Orléans cedex 2, France.; Email: jean-claude.vala@univ-orleans.fr.
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Vala
mesh_terms: D063147:Animal Distribution; D000825:Animal Structures / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development; D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size; D004175:Diptera / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D017753:Ecosystem; D005260:Female; D007814:Larva / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development*; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D012908:Snails / Q000469:parasitology*