title: Ultrastructure of pheromone-producing eversible vesicles in males of Chrysopa perla L. (Insecta, Neuroptera).
abstract: During courtship, males of Chrysopa perla extrude from the genital aperture two eversible vesicles that bear approximately 50 sclerotized tubercles with a long, apical hair. Ultrastructural study reveals within each tubercle two juxtaposed subunits: a sensory subunit formed by a mechanoreceptor neuron, a glial cell, two enveloping cells, and a glandular subunit consisting of a glandular cell provided with an extracellular reservoir, a duct cell and an enveloping cell. The glandular-cell cytoplasm is characterized by extensive RER, a large amount of SER, probably involved in lipid elaboration, and voluminous myeloid bodies encircling the reservoir. The secretion is released to the outside by a cuticular duct that opens into the side of the tubercle. The function of the mechanoreceptor associated with the glandular subunit is discussed.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005088:Exocrine Glands / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007313:Insecta / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008297:Male; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010675:Pheromones / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010675:Pheromones