Summary
The mechanism of insemination in Lucilia cuprina is described. There are four duct openings on the phallosome. The terminal pore is continuous with the internal reproductive organs. The sub-terminal pore and paired, lateral pores are the openings of ducts formed by cuticular invaginations. The male accessory gland material appears to be re-routed from the terminal pore into the ducts of the lateral barbs once sperm transfer is complete. A novel means of deposition of the male accessory material is described, in which paired barbs on the phallosome tear the cuticle of thick-walled pads in the bursa copulatrix. After mating, accessory material is found within intra-cuticular spaces in the bursa copulatrix, which appear to become sealed at the points of penetration by plugs or scars.
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Merritt, D.J. The morphology of the phallosome and accessory gland material transfer during copulation in the blowfly, Lucilia cuprina (Insecta, Diptera). Zoomorphology 108, 359–366 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00312276
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00312276