1975] 
Aloore, Legner & Badgley — Oligota 
187 
The Osmeterium 
The eighth abdominal tergite of many larvae of the Subfamily 
Aleocharinae bears in its center near the posterior margin a dark 
tumid area of distinctive texture which has usually been called a 
gland. Paulian (1941) referred to it as a silk gland. Badgley and 
Fleschner (1956) disclosed that in O. oviformis it is a cover for 
an osmeterium. They stated, “This black spot consists of two 
heavily pigmented, chitinized plates, with a transverse slit between 
them. The plates appear to act as a protection for an inner bladder- 
like organ called an osmeterium. It apparently acts as a protective 
device, quite possibly giving off an offensive odor, ias does the os- 
meterium of certain lepidopterous larvae.” When a larva was 
prodded with a camel’s hair brush the two opercula. parted and the 
bright orange osmeterium protruded from one to two seconds. The 
osmeterium appeared to be about as long as wide. According to 
Paulian (1941) the following genera possess this structure: Alianta, 
Antarctophytosus ( = Hal?naeusa) , Bolitochara, Gyrophaena , Lo- 
mechusa, AAicroglotta, Oligota, Phloeopora and Thectura. Moore 
(1956) confirmed its presence, in Diaulota, Liparocephalus and 
Figure 9. Oligota oviformis. Larva, left pair of osmeterial glands. 
