Morphology and Histology of the Ductus Receptaculi and Accessory Glands in the Reproductive Tract of the Female Cricket,Teleogryllus commodus

Abstract

The morphology and histology of the ductus receptaculi and accessory glands in females of the black field cricket, Teleogryllus commodus Walker (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) are described. Both are reproductive organs situated in the 7th and 8th abdominal segment that join the posterior part of the genital chamber. The ductus receptaculi is a long (up to 25 mm) homogeneous tube, and the accessory glands (total length: 4 to 12 mm) are a complex system of tubes and end lobes with various numbers of ramifications. Based on their external shapes the accessory glands may be subdivided into three distinct regions, a distal region mainly producing the gland's secretion, a middle conducting region, and a basal region serving for the storage and release of the secretory substances into the genital chamber of the female. In histological respects, both organs have an outer muscle coat followed by a basal lamina, one or two cell layers, the cuticular intima, and the inner lumen. The ductus receptaculi is subdivided into three histologically different regions. The region located adjacent to the receptaculum and the region neighbouring the terminal papilla consist of a single, epithelial cell layer that is not secretory. The epithelium of the middle region contains two cell layers, glandular cells and cuticula-forming cells, which are responsible for the production of the cuticular intima. The secretion of the gland cells is released into an extracellular cavity, through which it reaches the lumen via a complex network of canals running through the intima. The histology of the accessory glands is rather homogeneous among the different regions, as one layer of epithelial cells produces both the secretion and the cuticular intima. Histological variations in the distal, middle, and basal gland sections mainly concern the height of the epithelium, the thickness of the basal lamina and the cuticular intima as well as the variable presence of the outer muscle coat. In contrast to the ductus receptaculi, secretory substances produced by the accessory gland cells accumulate in the lumen by a diffusive permeation of the intima.

Reproductive biology in Anophelinae mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae): Fine structure of the female accessory gland

“…Studies conducted in other insects show that the accessory gland is highly specialized and its function is important in the reproductive process Adiyodi, 1975, 1983;Lococo and Huebner, 1980;Davey, 1985;SoltaniMazouni and Bordereau, 1987;Takaoka et al, 1989;Kaulenas, 1992;Büning, 1994;Hosken and Ward, 1998;Sturm, 2008).…”

Cryptic Female Choice in Crickets and Relatives (Orthoptera: Ensifera)

“…Simmons 1986;Vahed 2003a;Sturm 2008;Brundo et al 2011;de Carvalho and Shaw 2010). Simmons (1986), for example, reported that the spermatheca of Gryllus bimaculatus can accommodate sperm from at least 38 spermatophores, while Vahed (2006) found that the spermatheca of Anonconotus baracunensis (Tettigoniidae) contained up to 44 ejaculates.…”

“…The spermatheca has only one opening and is linked to the genital chamber by the spermathecal duct, which can be long and convoluted in some species (e.g. Sturm 2008). Eggs are matured in paired ovaries and in most species continue to be developed and laid throughout the female's adult life (reviewed in Loher and Dambach 1989).…”

“…The wall of the spermathecal duct in grylline crickets such as G. bimaculatus and T. commodus includes a muscular layer (Essler et al 1992;Sturm 2008). It has been proposed that this could be used to facilitate or inhibit sperm transfer (Eberhard 1996;Tuni et al 2013).…”

“…Transport of sperm along the 25-mm-long, convoluted spermathecal duct to the spermatheca by peristaltic contractions of these muscle fibres is known to occur in T. commodus (Sturm 2005). "Zipperlike" projections of the wall of the spermathecal duct could also block the entry of sperm if the female were to narrow the lumen of the duct (Sturm 2008). Further research in this area could examine how exposure to siblings versus non-siblings affects the rate of peristaltic contractions of the spermathecal duct muscles and/or the diameter of the lumen of the duct.…”