Identification of females of European Conicera Meigen, with a discussion of certain features of the reproductive anatomy of female Phoridae (Diptera)

The presence of a sclerotized ring at the base of the common spermiduct is reported for the first time in females of the phorid genus Conicera Meigen. This character is species-specific and proves to be the only reliable one in distinguishing females of certain closely related species of Conicera. U sing other newly discovered genitalic and non-genitalic characters the firs t key to European Conicera females is presented. On a broader perspective t he occurrence of vaginal sclerites is investigated in twenty other phorid g enera using light microscopy. Results from this and previous studies indica te that internal sclerites are widely distributed throughout the family but often are not homologous. Furthermore, the internal genitalia of Conicera tibialis are studied by dissection, uncovering the unusual morphology of it s spermathecae. The findings are compared to the very scarce previously pub lished data on spermathecae in the family. According to this the number and morphology of phorid spermathecae appears to be variable between and even within genera. However, the sperm-storing organs in some derived genera are probably not homologous to true spermathecae.