Mouthpart Structure and Elemental Composition of the Mandibles in the Coffee Berry Borer (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae).

The various parts of the mouth in the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari), have been visualized and identified using scanning electron microscopy. The labial and maxillary palpi are three jointed and connected by a membrane that allows for telescoping. The maxillary palpi contain two types of sensilla (basiconic and campaniform) within an apical cuticular depression in the third segment of the palpus. The sides of the third segment of the maxillary palpus exhibits rod-shaped depressions, known as sensilla digitiformia. Several cuticular elements were detected in the mandibles, including Al, C, Ca, Cl, Mg, Na, O, P, and Zn. Zinc, a heavy metal, was only detected in the incisors and could provide abrasion resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]