Abstract
In adult females of Mansonia titillans (Walker) and Ma. dyari Belkin, Heinemann and Page, the eighth abdominal tergite bears a group of strongly developed spines arranged in two irregular rows (anterior, posterior); the largest spines are located medially in the posterior row. Although recognized taxonomically for many years, the function of the spines only recently has been shown, in ovipositing Ma. titillans, to be one of “scratching“ the submerged leaf surface before attachment of eggs. In this paper, the structure of the spines is examined by scanning electron microscopy, and an attempt is made to determine what physical effect, if any, is inflicted by the spines on the leaf surface.
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