Female genitalia
Nomenclature
An external genital aperture is present apically on segment 10. It is surrounded by the papillae anales which have proximal projections, the apophyses posteriores. The apophyses anterioires project proximally from a variably sclerotised plate of segment8.
In Families: Micropterigidae, Eriocraniidae, Nepticulidae, Opostegidae, Tischeriidae, Incurvariidae, Prodoxidae, Adelidae and Heliozelidae the female genitalia are monotrysian - the single genital opening serving for both oviposition and copulation.
In all other families the genitalia are ditrysian with a separate opening for copulation. In Family: Hepialidae the copulatory opening is on the fused segments 9-10 and is connected to the ovipositing opening by an external groove. In all other ditrysian families the copulatory opening (ostium bursae) is situated ventrally on segment 8.
The sterigma is a ventral sclerotised plate around and supporting the ostium bursae in ditrysian families. It may be divided into anterior and posterior lamellae (lamella ante-vaginalis and lamella post-vaginalis).
The ostium bursae opens into the introitus vaginae (IV) which may or may not have a discrete junction with the ductus bursae (DB), Both the IV and the DB may or may not be partly sclerotised and the DB may or may not be partly spiculate. The bulla seminalis opens into the ductus bursae. The ductus bursae opens into the corpus bursae (CB), the inner surface of which may contain sclerotised structures - signa (singular = signum)
An external genital aperture is present apically on segment 10. It is surrounded by the papillae anales which have proximal projections, the apophyses posteriores. The apophyses anterioires project proximally from a variably sclerotised plate of segment8.
In Families: Micropterigidae, Eriocraniidae, Nepticulidae, Opostegidae, Tischeriidae, Incurvariidae, Prodoxidae, Adelidae and Heliozelidae the female genitalia are monotrysian - the single genital opening serving for both oviposition and copulation.
In all other families the genitalia are ditrysian with a separate opening for copulation. In Family: Hepialidae the copulatory opening is on the fused segments 9-10 and is connected to the ovipositing opening by an external groove. In all other ditrysian families the copulatory opening (ostium bursae) is situated ventrally on segment 8.
The sterigma is a ventral sclerotised plate around and supporting the ostium bursae in ditrysian families. It may be divided into anterior and posterior lamellae (lamella ante-vaginalis and lamella post-vaginalis).
The ostium bursae opens into the introitus vaginae (IV) which may or may not have a discrete junction with the ductus bursae (DB), Both the IV and the DB may or may not be partly sclerotised and the DB may or may not be partly spiculate. The bulla seminalis opens into the ductus bursae. The ductus bursae opens into the corpus bursae (CB), the inner surface of which may contain sclerotised structures - signa (singular = signum)
