Diverse pereopodal secretory systems implicated in thread production in an apseudomorph tanaidacean crustacean

Abstract

Among arthropods, various insects, spiders, and crustaceans produce thread. The crustacean Tanaidacea include species that use thread mainly to construct dwelling tubes. While thread production was previously known only in Tanaoidea and Paratanaoidea, it was recently discovered in two species in Kalliapseudidae (Apseudoidea), although information on the morphology of the thread-producing system was lacking. Using histology, light and scanning electron microscopy, we found that the kalliapseudid Phoxokalliapseudes tomiokaensis comb. nov. lacks the sort of glandular structures associated with thread production in the pereonites, but has these structures in pereopods 1-6. We observed four types of glandular systems defined by the types and distribution of glands they contain: Type A (pereopod 1), Type B (pereopods 2 and 3), Type C (pereopods 4 and 5), and Type D (pereopod 6). All types have small rosette glands and lobed glands; Type A additionally has large rosette glands. The inferred thread-producing apparatus in P. tomiokaensis is very different from that in Tanaoidea and Paratanaoidea, suggesting that kalliapseudids evolved thread production independently from the latter two groups.

Brachylicoa lui, a new species of parapseudid tanaidacean (Crustacea: Peracarida: Apseudomorpha), from the Hawaiian Islands, with a taxonomic key

“…In Mesokalliapseudes macsweenyi (Drumm, 2003) and Psammokalliapseudes granulosus Silva Brum 1973, similar mucus glands are involved in the in the construction of their fragile mucus tubes (Drumm 2005). Also, Kakui and Hiruta (2014) reported that such glands are involved in the production of the fine, thread-producing mucus strands in Phoxokalliapseudes tomiokaensis (Shiino, 1966). …”

Aspects of mast building and the fine structure of “amphipod silk” glands in Dyopedos bispinis (Amphipoda, Dulichiidae)

“…Binuclearity is typically regarded as a prominent feature of lobed glands (Talbot and Demers, 1993) and is occasionally used as a diagnostic character (Kakui and Hiruta, 2014). However, the secretory cells in lobed glands contain one or two nucleuses, apparently independent of cell size (Gorvett, 1951).…”

“…9G-H) (Blanc, 1884), all of which might be defined as pseudotubular. Building glands in other crustaceans suggest another structure; the amphipods Crassicorophium bonellii and Lembos websteri and the tanaid Phoxokalliapseudes tomiokaensis (Shiino, 1966) have lobed and typical rosette glands (Kronenberger et al, 2012b, Kakui andHiruta, 2014), while callianassid shrimps (Decapoda) have only typical rosette glands (Dworschak, 1998). Cirripedian cement glands are multicellular but do not possess special duct cells (Lacombe and Liguori, 1969) and might be considered tubular gland variations (class 1 glands, according to the Noirot and Quennedey classification, 1974).…”

“…Insect and spider silks are well known and are currently subject to intense biochemical studies (Kovoor, 1987;Foelix, 2010;Sutherland et al, 2010;Kundu et al, 2014). Certain crustaceans (belonging to Amphipoda, Tanaidacea, Ostracoda and Decapoda) also produce silk-like materials (Wouters and De Grave, 1992;Dworschak, 1998;Kronenberger et al, 2012a;Kakui and Hiruta, 2014), but their chemical structure and the morphology of the silk glands are poorly known. Currently, only one crustacean silk from the amphipod Crassicorophium bonellii (Milne Edwards, 1830) has been chemically investigated (Kronenberger et al 2012a).…”

Mesoscale morphology at nanoscale resolution: serial block-face scanning electron microscopy reveals fine 3D detail of a novel silk spinneret system in a tube-building tanaid crustacean

“…Thread-producing species have evolved independently in many different crustacean groups, and they exhibit a variety of spinneret systems [ 13 ]. The Tanaidacea, where adults typically bear a pair of remarkable claws and show a well-developed tube-dwelling behavior, is one of the most thread-dependent taxa in the Crustacea.…”