6533b834fe1ef96bd129dee8
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Morphology of the male and female tergal glands of the woodroach Cryptocercus punctulatus (Insecta, Dictyoptera)
Jean-pierre FarineRémy BrossutChristine A. Nalepasubject
Exocrine glandanimal structuresMorphology (linguistics)biologyDictyopteraAnatomyGlandula exocrinabiology.organism_classificationCryptocercus punctulatusSexual dimorphismmedicine.anatomical_structureSexual behaviorUltrastructuremedicineAnimal Science and ZoologyDevelopmental Biologydescription
Males and females of Cryptocercus punctulatus possess tergal glands which differ in position, size, morphology, and chemical composition of their secretions. Ultrastructural studies reveal the presence of class 1 and class 3 glandular units interspersed throughout the glands; class 3 glandular units are 30 times as numerous as in the female, but no cytological difference was found between the sexes. The morphology of the tergal glands is characterized by the occurrence of a subcuticular space reservoir, a dense tracheal system, and a thick collagenous layer instead of the typical basement membrane. Comparison with the termite abdominal gland system indicates a great similarity in the fine structure. The biological function of the tergal glands is discussed.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-01-01 | Zoomorphology |