title: Cytogenetics analysis and testis morphology of aquatic species of the families Belostomatidae, Gelastocoridae, Gerridae, Notonectidae, and Veliidae (Heteroptera).
abstract: The Heteroptera have holocentric chromosomes with kinetic activity restricted to the end of chromosomes. The first meiotic division is reductional for the autosomes and equational for the sexual. Only a few species of this suborder have been analyzed. In this study, we observed the morphologies of the testes of the Heteroptera species Belostoma anurum (Herrich-Schäffer, 1948), Belostoma micantulum (Stal, 1858), Gelastocoris angulatus (Melin, 1929), Gelastocoris flavus flavus (Guérin-Méneville, 1844), Rheumatobates crassifemur crassifemur (Esaki, 1926), Buenoa amnigenus (White, 1879), Buenoa unguis (Truxal, 1953), Martarega brasiliensis (Truxal, 1949), Martarega membranácea (White, 1879), Martarega uruguayensis (Berg, 1883), Rhagovelia tenuipes (Champion, 1898) and Rhagovelia zela (Drake, 1959). We found that the testes of these species can be round, round/spiral, or elongated/spiral. The size of the prophase I cells was found to vary, with the smallest ones being detected in B. micantulum and Rha. zela, the largest in G. f. flavus, and ones of intermediate size in R. c. crassifemur and M. brasiliensis. With respect to the chromosome complement, we verified the presence of 2n =  16: (14A+XY, B. micantulum and G. angulatus), 21: (20A+X0, R. c. crassifemur), 23: (22A+X0, Rha. zela and Rha. tenuipes), 25: (24A+X0, Bu. amnigenus and Bu. unguis; 22A+2m+X0, M. membranacea), 27: (24A+2m+X0, M. brasiliensis and M. uruguayensis), 29: (26A+X1X2Y, B. anurum), and 35: (30A+X1X2X3X4Y, G. f. flavus). We found that the features of spermatogenesis in these species are similar to those of other previously described Heteroptera species, differing only in testicular morphology, chromosome number, and sex chromosome system.
authors: Departamento de Biologia, Laboratório de Citogenética e Molecular de Insetos, UNESP-Universidade Estadual Paulista, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brasil luislenin@gmail.com.
authors: Luis Lenin
authors: LL
authors: Vicente Pereira
authors: Departamento de Biologia, Laboratório de Biologia Celular, UNESP-Universidade Estadual Paulista, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brasil.
authors: Kaio Cesar
authors: KC
authors: Chaboli Alevi
authors: Departamento de Biologia, Laboratório de Citogenética e Molecular de Insetos, UNESP-Universidade Estadual Paulista, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brasil.
authors: Márcia Maria
authors: MM
authors: Urbanin Castanhole
authors: Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Laboratório Nacional e Internacional de Referência em Taxonomia de Triatomíneos. Av. Brasil, 4365, Pavilhão Rocha Lima, quinto andar, Manguinhos, CEP: 21045-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors: Felipe Ferraz
authors: FF
authors: Figueiredo Moreira
authors: Departamento de Zoologia, Laboratório de Entomologia, Instituto de Biologia, UFRJ-Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors: Julianna
authors: J
authors: Freires Barbosa
authors: Departamento de Biologia, Laboratório de Citogenética e Molecular de Insetos, UNESP-Universidade Estadual Paulista, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brasil.
authors: Mary
authors: M
authors: Massumi Itoyama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059001:Aquatic Organisms / Q000235:genetics; D059006:Chromosomes, Insect / Q000235:genetics*; D020732:Cytogenetic Analysis; D020062:Heteroptera / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008540:Meiosis; D013091:Spermatogenesis; D013737:Testis / Q000033:anatomy & histology
keywords: cytogenetics of Heteroptera; meiosis; spermatogenesis; spermiogenesis; testicular lobe