Morphology of the larval stages of the weevil parasitoid Lixadmontia franki (Diptera: Tachinidae)

Lixadmontia franki is a specialist parasitoid of bromeliad-eating weevils. The adult of this species was described by Wood and Cave in 2006. This paper describes the larval stages of L. franki. Lixadmontia franki has 3 instars that are easily distinguishable by the body size, shape and color, the amount and type of spinulae, and the size and shape of the mouth hook and the cephalopharyngeal skeleton. All 3 instars had posterior spiracles. Only the 3rd instar had anterior spiracles. Morphological variation between the instars can be explained by the different ecological needs of the instars.