The scutum is the largest sclerite of the mesonotum. In Tephritidae most of the thorax visible in dorsal view is the scutum (the only other parts directly visible in dorsal view are the postpronotal lobes, notopleura, scutellum, and occasionally the postnotum). The scutum is more or less rectangular and includes pre- and postsutural areas incompletely divided by the transverse suture. It is bordered posteriorly by the scutellum. This character refers to the extent of a brown band (transverse marking) on the posterior margin of the scutum, particularly whether or not it reaches the base of the intra-alar seta.