apical tooth
In the majority of sabethine mosquitoes, a distal process of the maxillary body ranging in development from a small protuberance to a prominent tooth- or claw-like structure.
The presence of an apical tooth on the maxillary body is typical of sabethine larvae. The exact homology of this feature is unknown, but it may have originated as a simple elongation of the apex of the maxilla or as a modification of the most distal element of the laciniarastrum. In the majority of sabethines, the structure has the appearance of a small bump or protuberance, but in certain others it is developed into a prominent tooth- or claw-like process.