Prestomal teeth of a blowfly (likely Calliphora erythrocephala, now Calliphora vicina). - stock illustration
While we usually think of flies as having "sponging" mouthparts for liquid food, they actually possess these hardened, tooth-like structures on the underside of their labellum (the fleshy tip of the proboscis).The "Teeth" (Prestomal Teeth): The large, curved, darker structures at the base. These are made of heavily sclerotized (hardened) chitin.The Vertical Columns: These represent pseudotracheae, the tiny channels that use capillary action to suck up fluids.The Function: The blowfly uses these teeth to rasp or scrape solid surfaces (like dried sugar or meat) to break them down or expose liquids, which are then channeled into the pseudotracheae and up into the fly's stomach.

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