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Differences in degeneration of the apical scolopidial organ in the labial palp of Lepidoptera during pupal development

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Summary

The apical scolopidial organ (ASO) in the labial palp of six species from four families of Lepidoptera was studied in pupal and imaginal stages using electron microscopy. The organ houses three sensory units, each of which consists of one sensory cell and two enveloping cells at early pupal stage in all the species studied. The distal part of the ASO is connected with the epidermis of the tip of the labial palp. Proximally it is attached to the primordium of the palpal nerve. The axons of the sensory cells run within this nerve to the central nervous system. There are two main differences in the differentiation of the ASO in the species examined during postembryonic development: (1) the sensory cells of the ASO degenerate at different rates; and (2) the ASO may or may not change its position within the palp. In Pieris brassicae and Pieris napi (Pieridae), all three sensory cells undergo stepwise degeneration. Consequently, no sensory cells are left in the imago in these species. However, in the Rhodogastria sp. (Arctiidae), only one sensory cell of the ASO degenerates during pupal life. Two remain, therefore, in the imaginal stage. Their dendritic outer segments and axons are normal, and their appearance does not differ from that in early pupal life. The same process was also observed in Rhodogastria bubo (Arctiidae), Autographa gamma (Noctuidae) and Aglais urticae (Nymphalidae). In addition to the degeneration of the sensory cells the ASO turns through about 180° in P. brassicae and P. napi so that its tip points to the base of the palp in the imagines of these species.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Zoologie, Universität Regensburg, D-8400, Regensburg, Germany

    Jong-Kyoo Lee & Helmut Altner

  2. Department of Biology, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Chang-Whan Kim

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  1. Jong-Kyoo Lee
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  2. Chang-Whan Kim
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  3. Helmut Altner
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Lee, JK., Kim, CW. & Altner, H. Differences in degeneration of the apical scolopidial organ in the labial palp of Lepidoptera during pupal development. Zoomorphology 108, 77–83 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00539783

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00539783

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