Mosquito Taxonomic Inventory

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Definition:

In the majority of sabethine mosquitoes, a distal process of the maxillary body ranging in development from a small protuberance to a prominent tooth- or claw-like structure. 

Explanation:

The presence of an apical tooth on the maxillary body is typical of sabethine larvae. The exact homology of this feature is unknown, but it may have originated as a simple elongation of the apex of the maxilla or as a modification of the most distal element of the laciniarastrum. In the majority of sabethines, the structure has the appearance of a small bump or protuberance, but in certain others it is developed into a prominent tooth- or claw-like process. 

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