The spermatheca of<i>Melanoplus sanguinipes</i>(Fabr.). II. Ultrastructure

Ahmed, Ijaz; Gillott, Cedric

doi:10.1080/01651269.1981.10553438

Cited by 11 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Interestingly enough, the inside of the spermatheca of D. viridis is scattered with small hair-like structures pointing into the lumen of the proximal and distal chambers. The functions of these hair-like structures have not been investigated, and only a few references mention their presence in spermathecae (Ahmed and Gillott 1982, Gregory 1965, Richards and Richards 1979). Gregory (1965 states that the "fine cuticular spines that project inwards from the walls of the vestibule" in Locusta migratoria function possibly by rupturing the thin wall of the spermatophore to allow the sperm bundles to migrate within the spermatheca.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Histological Study on Copulation Duration, Patterns of Sperm Transfer and Organization inside the Spermatheca of a Grasshopper, Dichromorpha viridis (Scudder)

Johnson¹,

Niedzlek-Feaver²

1998

Journal of Orthoptera Research

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The mechanism of sperm transfer and sperm organization inside the spermatheca was investigated in Dichromorpha viridis (Scudder). Spermathecae from single-and multiple-mated females whose copulations were interrupted at various prescribed time intervals, were examined histologically. Sperm organization inside the spermatheca from 24 to 120 hours after copulation had terminated was also investigated. The first observation of sperm inside the spermatheca did not occur until 30 minutes had passed into copulation. The majority of sperm transferred into the spermatheca were in the form of sperm bundles, or spermatodesmes, and the rate at which sperm bundles were transferred appeared to decrease after 13 hours into copulation (average mating duration in the laboratory was 28 hours). The occurrence of abundant sperm with sperm bundles was observed only in females that had mated before and less than 9 hours into copulation, and so believed to be from previous matings. As mating continued, less and less individual sperm was observed, and by 15 hours into copulation only sperm bundles were observed inside the spermatheca. The interrupted multiple matings indicate that at least some sperm bundles remain inside the spermatheca while individual sperm were removed by some mechanism, possibly sperm flushing by an excess of seminal fluid provided by the mating male. Some sperm bundles were shown to keep their bundle integrity for at least 7 days after copulation had terminated. The sperm bundles must disassociate into individual sperm prior to fertilizing the female's eggs; therefore, it may be the female that provides the mechanism or chemical stimulus to initiate sperm bundle disassociation prior to oviposition and/or a multiple mating. The results of this investigation implicate sperm competition, perhaps mediated by female choice, as a primary reason for lengthy copulations in D. viridis. Males may also act as mechanical plugs by remaining in copula for an extended duration after a sufficient amount of sperm has been transferred, or males may be overcompensating the process of sperm removal by transferring an excess of seminal fluid to "flush-out" any sperm present from previous matings.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Histological Study on Copulation Duration, Patterns of Sperm Transfer and Organization inside the Spermatheca of a Grasshopper, Dichromorpha viridis (Scudder)

Johnson¹,

Niedzlek-Feaver²

1998

Journal of Orthoptera Research

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“…In the latter, the cuticle‐forming cells have microvilli and deep introflections of the plasma membrane with coated vesicles that seem to come off from these introflections. This feature of the cuticle‐forming cells is found in the spermatheca of other species of Tettigoniidae (Brundo et al, ; Viscuso et al, ) and also in other species of various orders of Insecta (Ahmed and Gillot, ; Dallai, ; Gupta and Smith, ; Happ and Happ, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Light and electron microscopy study of the spermatheca of Eupholidoptera chabrieri bimucronata (Ramme, 1927) and Uromenus brevicollis trinacriaeLa Greca 1964 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae)

Viscuso

Camiolo

Vitale

2015

Microscopy Res & Technique

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A study by both optical and electron microscopy has been carried out on the spermatheca of Eupholidoptera chabrieri bimucronata and Uromenus brevicollis trinacriae (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae). In both the examined species, the spermatheca consists of a sac/kidney-shaped seminal receptacle and a more or less tortuous spermathecal duct that opens into the common oviduct. The wall of both the organs consists of a pseudostratified epithelium surmounted by a cuticular intima; the latter is made up of a thicker endocuticle and an epicuticle. The epithelium shows two different cell types, irregularly arranged and with well differentiated functions: cuticle-forming and gland cells. In both the species, the cuticle-forming cells perform other functions, in addition to producing the cuticular intima. The gland cells never come in contact with the cuticular intima, have inside the reservoir a secretion whose appearance can diversify also in contiguous zones of the seminal receptacle. Based on our findings in both the species, the functions of the seminal receptacle would differ from those of the spermathecal duct. In the latter, some areas of the wall of the connecting tract show an activity of lysis, by contiguous epithelial cells, that could play a role in control and selection of spermatozoa. As for the feather-shaped spermatodesms, similar in both the species, freeze-fracture observations have shown that the acrosome of each spermatozoon regularly covers three-quarters of the extension of the acrosome of the following spermatozoon. Finally, the significance of our findings, compared with what is known in literature, is discussed.

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Transverse ionic passages through the cuticular ductules from the haemocoel to the glandular cavities and the lumen of the spermathecal duct in female crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus)

1991

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In the spermathecal duct of the female cricket Gryllus bimaculatus, the glandular cells, each of which has a central cavity, and the cuticular ductules, extending from the cuticular intima of the spermathecal duct, are widely distributed along the duct's length, except in the proximal and distal regions. The cuticular ductules approach the glandular cavities along a tortuous course and enter them, or run down towards them to terminate in the region of the basement membrane. When an isolated spermathecal duct was incubated in an ionic lanthanum solution, deposits of lanthanum were found in the lumina of the cuticular ductules, the secretory cavities of the glandular cells, and in the openings of the cuticular ductules to the lumen of the spermathecal duct, but also in the intercellular space, and the surface of muscle fibers surrounding the spermathecal duct. This finding suggests that each cuticular ductule is a tripartite passage between the haemocoel, the glandular cavity, and the lumen of the spermathecal duct.In many insects, the phenomenon that the secretions of the male accessory gland play various roles in the regulation or modification of the behavior and physiology of the female, has been demonstrated based on evidence provided by implantation of the accessory gland and injection of its glandular extracts into the haemocoel of the female (e.g., Leopold, '76; Gillott, '88). We have recently observed in the female cricket that the peristaltic movements of the spermathecal duct occur in response to the injection of the spermatophore contents through the copulatory papilla into the lumen of the spermathecal duct in order to facilitate sperm migration. Furthermore, the peristaltic movements of an isolated spermathecal duct can be induced by the application of the spermatophore contents to the proximal region of an isolated spermathecal duct near the genital papilla (Kimura and Yamaguchi, '87; in preparation). These observations imply that the spermatophore contents may penetrate from the lumen of the spermathecal duct to the haemocoel or the vicinity of the muscle fibers winding around the spermathecal duct which induce the peristaltic movements of the duct. However, it remains uncertain through which passage physiologically active substances delivered into the lumen of the female reproductive duct by the male during copulation reach the haemocoel. This experiment was undertaken to reveal the presence of such a passage in the spermathecal duct of the female cricket using ionic lanthanum as a tracer. MATERIALS AND METHODSVirgin and mated female crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) were used in this experiment. The spermathecal duct was isolated together with the copulatory papilla and spermatheca. The tissues were incubated in solutions of 5 , 10, 20, and 50 mM ionic lanthanum (made from LaCl,) dissolved in physiological saline (in mM/l: NaC1, 150; KC1, 9; CaCl,, 5 ; dextrose, 40; buffered with 10 mM/1 Tris buffered to pH 7.2) at room temperature for 2 hours. The tip of the copulatory papilla was kept

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The spermatheca ofMelanoplus sanguinipes(Fabr.). II. Ultrastructure

Cited by 11 publications

References 20 publications

A Histological Study on Copulation Duration, Patterns of Sperm Transfer and Organization inside the Spermatheca of a Grasshopper, Dichromorpha viridis (Scudder)

A Histological Study on Copulation Duration, Patterns of Sperm Transfer and Organization inside the Spermatheca of a Grasshopper, Dichromorpha viridis (Scudder)

Light and electron microscopy study of the spermatheca of Eupholidoptera chabrieri bimucronata (Ramme, 1927) and Uromenus brevicollis trinacriaeLa Greca 1964 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae)

Transverse ionic passages through the cuticular ductules from the haemocoel to the glandular cavities and the lumen of the spermathecal duct in female crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus)

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