Spatial and temporal pattern of neuroblasts, proliferation, and Engrailed expression during early brain development in Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera).

Abstract In insects, the knowledge of embryonic brain development is still fragmentary, and comparative data are scarce. In this study, we explored aspects of embryonic brain development in the coleopteran Tenebrio molitor . A detailed description is provided of the spatial and temporal pattern of the embryonic brain neuroblasts during 18–60% of embryonic development. Approximately 125 brain NBs have been identified in each hemisphere of the brain at about 40% of embryonic development. A subset of five neuroblasts, among them the two progenitors of the mushroom bodies and two progenitors of the larval antennal lobe, are morphologically identifiable by their larger size. As revealed by incor…