Contra Sharkey
by David Wahl
A better source for examining the tergite vs. tergum question is Snodgrass
(1935). He defines tergum (p. 71) as a "major segmental plate of the dorsum . . .
[s]ubdivision of a principal segmental plate or the component sclerites of a major area of sclerotization,
then, becomes tergites, sternites, and pleurites, respectively, since the suffix
-ite has a fractional significance." He further states (p. 250) that "[i]ln many insects,
particularly the larval forms, the dorsal sclerotization of the abdomen may be broken up into groups of
segmental tergites. In single cases we may distinguish in each segment a median tergite . . . and one
or more laterotergites . . ." Adult ichneumonids, as well as many apocritans, certainly display this
phenomenon, and it may be assumed that separate laterotergites (epipleura sensu Townes)
are part of the family's ground plan. If one uses the term "laterotergite", then "tergite" is perfectly
acceptable.
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