Morphology of the Ovary and Spermatheca of the Leafcutter Ant Acromyrmex rugosus Queens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The leafcutter ant Acromyrmex rugosus Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is considered a pest of several crops. In this study we investigated the morphology of the ovary and spermatheca of A. rugosus queens. The ovary is meroistic polytrophic with 12 ovarioles per ovary. Each ovariole has a short termi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Florida entomologist 2019-09, Vol.102 (3), p.515-519
Main Authors: Farder-Gomes, Cliver Fernandes, Oliveira, Marco Antonio, Castro Della Lucia, Terezinha Maria, Serrão, José Eduardo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acromyrmex rugosus
Animal behavior
Animal morphology
Animal reproduction
Biology
Cells
Cysts
Cytoplasm
câmara nutridora
câmara ovocítica
egg chamber
Egg yolk
Entomology
Epithelium
Females
Follicles
Formicidae
Gametocytes
glândula espermatecal
Hymenoptera
Insects
Menopause
Morphology
Nuclei
Nuclei (cytology)
Nucleus
nurse chamber
Oocytes
Ovaries
ovariole
Ovarioles
Oviduct
pest
peste
Queens
RESEARCH PAPERS
Society
Sperm
Spermatheca
spermathecal gland
Yolk
Zoology
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Summary:The leafcutter ant Acromyrmex rugosus Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is considered a pest of several crops. In this study we investigated the morphology of the ovary and spermatheca of A. rugosus queens. The ovary is meroistic polytrophic with 12 ovarioles per ovary. Each ovariole has a short terminal filament, a germarium, and a long vitellarium with growth follicles. The nurse chamber near the germarium is larger than the egg chamber. The follicular cells surrounding the egg chamber are cuboidal, with a well-developed nucleus, whereas those surrounding the nurse chamber are flattened. The oocyte increases in volume along the ovariole toward the lateral oviduct. Oocytes have multiple accessory nuclei. Mature oocytes have cytoplasm rich in yolk granules. The reservoir epithelium of the spermatheca shows morphological differences, with both columnar and flattened cells. The spermathecal gland has elongated and acinus-like cells.
ISSN:0015-4040
1938-5102
DOI:10.1653/024.102.0312