Segmental Organization of Cephalic Ganglia in Arthropods

2007

Cephalic ganglia in arthropods encompass neuromeres of the supraesophageal ganglion (i.e., the brain) and the subesophageal ganglion. Whereas neuromeres of the subesophageal ganglion are clearly distinguishable, the segmental pattern of the brain is derived and less well understood. In this article, we give an overview of the current state of a long-lasting debate on the segmental organization of the arthropod head and brain, discussing embryonic morphological and molecular data, with a main focus on insects. Embryonic expression data on key developmental genes such as engrailed, orthodenticle, and Hox genes will be summarized to compare the metameric organization of the head (sub- and supr…