Open Access

ARTICLE

An ultrastructural study of spermiogenesis in two species of Sitophilus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

KHESLLER PATRÍCIA OLÁZIA NAME, GIULIANO PAGY FELIPE DOS REIS, SÔNIA NAIR BÁO

Laboratório de Microscopia Eletrônica, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, UnB, Brasília –DF 70919-970
Address correspondence to: Dr. Sônia Nair Báo. Laboratório de Microscopia Eletrônica, Departamento de Biologia Celular, IB, UnB, Brasília-DF 70919-970, BRAZIL. Fax: +55 61 3347-6533. E-mail: snbao@unb.br

BIOCELL 2007, 31(2), 229-236. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2007.31.229

Abstract

The spermiogenesis of Sitophilus zeamais and Sitophilus oryzae, the maize and the rice weevil, respectively, was studied by light microscopy and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Sitophilus spp. is the most widespread and destructive primary pest of stored cereals in the world. The spermiogenesis occurs within cysts. There are approximately 256 germ line cells per cyst. Inside each cysts, all the spermatids are in the same stage of maturation. The ultrastructure of the spermatozoa of S. zeamais and S. oryzae is similar to that described for other beetles. The head is formed by a three-layered acrosome with the perforatorium, the acrosomal vesicle, the extra-acrosomal layer and the nucleus. The flagellum has the typical axoneme formed by a 9+9+2 microtubules arrangement, two mitochondrial derivatives and two accessory bodies. The typical pattern for Curculionidae spermatozoa described here may provide useful information for future phylogenetic analysis of the superfamily Curculionoidea.

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