Morpho-physiological Differences of the Spermatheca of Attini Ants (Hymenoptera: Myrmicinae)

Abstract

The insect's spermatheca store the spermatozoa from the time of copulation until the fertilization of the eggs and consists of a sac, usually associated to glands. The ant species Atta laevigata, Atta sexdens sexdens, Atta sexdens piriventris, Acromyrmex coronatus and Cyphomyrmex muelleri are considered pests, as they cause economics losses to several crops. The spermatheca of these species were examined by scanning electron microscopy, histological and histochemical techniques. Their morphology resembled that of a bilobular pouch partially jointed in the central portion. In A. coronatus and C. muelleri it is flatter in shape than those of other species. The external spermathecal gland, groups of secretory cells, was located at the joining point of the two spermathecal lobes of the reservoir. This was observed in A. laevigata, A. s. sexdens and A. coronatus, like a group of cells, while in C. muelleri, like filaments. An external associated gland was not observed in A. s. piriventris, instead secretory cells were arranged in a simple prismatic epithelium internally lining the spermathecal lumen. This epithelium was also observed in A. s. sexdens, although it was restricted to the joining point of the spermathecal lobes. The presence of an internal secretory epithelium in A. s. piriventris and A. s. sexdens suggests that their physiology for the maintenance of spermatozoa in viable conditions for egg fertilization might differ from A. laevigata, A. coronatus and C. muelleri, in which only an external spermathecal gland was observed.

Morphology of the Ovary and Spermatheca of the Leafcutter Ant Acromyrmex rugosus Queens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

“…The lobate spermatheca of A. rugosus is similar to that reported for other species in the genus Acromyrmex, as well as in other myrmicine ants (Wheeler & Krutzsch 1994;Ortiz & Camargo-Mathias 2006Cardoso et al 2008), suggesting that this spermathecal shape is common to this subfamily. The presence of columnar epithelium in the spermathe-cal reservoir wall of A. rugosus also has been reported in A. subterraneus subterraneus, Acromyrmex balzani (Emery) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Acromyrmex landolti (Forel) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), and Acromyrmex landolti balzani Emery (Hymenoptera: Formicidae); however, only A. rugosus, A. subterraneus, and A. balzani have spermathecal glands (Ortiz & Camargo-Mathias 2007;Cardoso et al 2008).…”

“…The female reproductive tract of leafcutter ants has been studied in few species and exhibit a great variability in the number of ovaries and spermatheca (Tschinkel 1987;Antunes et al 2002;Dijkstra et al 2005;Ortiz & Camargo-Mathias 2006Cardoso et al 2008). Although these studies provide data on the morphology, more detailed information on anatomy and histology of the reproductive tract of A. rugosus are scarce, and additional studies are important for understanding the basic organization of this ant species, and allowing comparative studies with other ants.…”

Insights Into the Proteome of the Spermatheca of the Leaf-Cutting AntAtta sexdens rubropilosa(Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

“…The presence of the Actin was expected since it is constitutively expressed in eukaryotic cells (Eriji 2002). Its function may be related mainly to the transport of nutrients from the lumen into the hemocoel, secretion, endocytosis and exocytosis, and to increasing the resistance of the spermathecal epithelium filled with sperm (Gobin et al 2006;Ortiz & Camargo-Mathias 2006).…”