Sperm morphology of the leafhopper Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Psylloidea: Liviidae).

In this study, by using light and electron microscopy, we describe the sperm morphology of the leafhopper Diaphorina citri, a serious pest of citrus throughout the world. In this species the sperm measures 538.49±8.75µm in length, and as observed in psylloids, the sperm, when manipulated, opens into two filaments, one of which is attached to the nuclear base and the other becomes free. Along the flagellum, and only of it, there are lateral projections, about 2µm in length. Furthermore, at the end of the flagellum three appendages, with approximately 7µm in length, are observed. The head region is formed by the nucleus with compact chromatin, and, parallel to it, a structure of median electron density that extends about 25µm in length ahead of the nuclear tip. The flagellum consists of an axoneme with a 9+9+2 microtubule arrangement, two mitochondrial derivatives, and two accessory bodies each with two regions of different electron density. The presence of lateral projections is a characteristic observed in other Sternorrhyncha. As seen previously, the sperm opening in two filaments, when manipulated, was observed only in Psylloidea, and the presence of the three appendices at the end of the flagellum distinguishes D. citri from the other Psylloidea species studied.

Sperm morphology of Muscidifurax uniraptor (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae).

Sperm morphology of the parasitoid Muscidifurax uniraptor was investigated under light and transmission electron microscopy. M. uniraptor sperm are filiform, spiraled, approximately 150 µm in length, with a distinctive head, hooded by an extracellular sheath and a flagellum. This extracellular layer, from which many filaments radiate, measures approximately 90 nm in thickness and covers a small acrosome and the anterior nuclear region. The acrosome is composed of an acrosomal vesicle and a perforatorium with its base inserted in the nuclear tip. The nucleus is filled with homogeneously compacted chromatin. The centriolar adjunct extends towards the anterior portion in a spiral around the nucleus for 3.5 µm in length. The two mitochondrial derivatives begin exactly at the centriole adjunct base and, in cross-section, have a circular shape with equal areas that are smaller than the axoneme diameter. It is coiled, with 9 + 9 + 2 microtubules and begins from the centriole, just below the nuclear base. The axoneme is connected to the mitochondrial derivatives by two small irregularly shaped masses. Between the derivatives and the axoneme, the 'center-flagellar material' is observed. Overall, these characteristics are recognized in other Chalcidoidea, especially in the eurytomids, but together they form a set of species-specific data.

Ultrastructure and immunofluorescence of the midgut of Bombus morio (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombini).

Bumblebees are widely distributed across the world and have great economic and ecological importance as pollinators in the forest as well as in agriculture. The insect midgut consists of three cell types, which play various important roles in digestion, absorption, and hormone production. The present study characterized the anterior and posterior midgut regions of the bumblebee, Bombus morio. The digestive, regenerative and endocrine cells in the midgut showed regional differences in their number, nuclear size, as well as the size of the striated border. Ultrastructurally, the digestive cells contained many mitochondria and long microvilli; however, in the anterior midgut region, these cells showed dilated basal labyrinths with a few openings for the hemocoel, whereas the labyrinths of the basal posterior region remained inverse characteristics. Thus, the characterization of the midgut of B. morio supported an ecto-endoperitrophic circulation, contributing to a better understanding of the digestive process in this bee.