长蝎蛉幼期形态附生物学记述

【目的】蝎蛉科(Panorpidae)是长翅目(Mecoptera)最大的科,是重要的生态指示昆虫。然而,由于对环境条件要求苛刻,饲养困难,其幼期研究很不充分。【方法】本研究通过人工饲养成虫获得了长蝎蛉Panorpa macrostyla Hua的卵、幼虫和蛹等全部虫态,运用光学显微镜和扫描电子显微技术观察了其超微形态,并简要记载了其生物学特性。【结果】长蝎蛉每年发生1代,成虫发生于6月末至8月初。卵椭球形,卵壳表面覆盖一层隆起的网状结构。幼虫蠋型,具3对分4节的胸足和8对不分节的腹足;头壳高度骨化,具1对由26个小眼组成的复眼和1对3节的触角,口器咀嚼式;腹部第1-9节背面具有成对的背毛突,第10节仅有1根背毛突,腹部末端具有一个可伸缩的吸盘;呼吸系统为周气门式,具1对前胸气门和8对腹气门。幼虫共4个龄期,以预蛹期在土室内越冬。蛹为强颚离蛹,外形接近成虫,雄蛹腹部末端膨大。【结论】基于幼虫形态特征,长蝎蛉明显区别于新蝎蛉属Neopanorpa、华蝎蛉属Sinopanorpa、双角蝎蛉属Dicerapanorpa以及单角蝎蛉属Cerapanorpa幼虫。然而,长蝎蛉幼虫头部刚毛L2和SO2,腹部末节刚毛D2,SD1和SD2端部均膨大呈棒状,与蝎蛉属Panorpa其他种类区别明显,表明长蝎蛉的属级地位需要进一步研究。     

拟蝎蛉科--中国长翅目新记录科

报道中国长翅目Mecopteral新记录科——拟蝎蛉科Panorpodidae。介绍了拟蝎蛉科的主要特征,编制了中国长翅目分科和拟蝎蛉科分属检索表：提出了1个新组合——短拟蝎蛉Panorpodes brevicaudata(Hua,1998),移自蝎蛉属Panorpa Linn．,分布于吉林省长白山。     

浙江蚊蝎蛉属一新种(长翅目,蚊蝎蛉科)

记述了产于中国浙江的蚊蝎蛉属Bittacus Latreille,1805 1新种,浙江蚊蝎蛉Bittacus zhejiangicus sp.nov.,提供了雄性正模成虫的整体照片,绘制了雄性和雌性外生殖器特征图。新种与中华蚊蝎蛉Bittacus sinensis Walker和天目山蚊蝎蛉B.tienmushana Cheng相似,但根据羽状触角,翅Av脉存在,前足腿节明显黑褐色,雄性上生殖瓣基部下缘大的耳状突起,载肛突末端有1小突起,突起上有1束长毛,生殖肢端节不具突起等特征容易区分。正模♂,采于浙江凤阳山七星潭;副模: 1♀,采于浙江泰顺乌岩岭; 1 ♂,采于浙江庆元百山祖。模式标本分存于西北农林科技大学昆虫博物馆[NWAU]和上海昆虫博物馆[SHEM]。     

蝎蛉科与蚊蝎蛉科昆虫触角感器超微形态比较

触角是昆虫重要的感觉器官,其感觉功能主要是通过其上的各类感器来实现的。本文以染翅蝎蛉Sinopanorpa tincta(Nav偄s)和中华蚊蝎蛉Bittacus sinensis Walker为代表,采用扫描电子显微镜观察了蝎蛉科Panorpidae和蚊蝎蛉科Bittacidae触角感器的类型及其超微结构,并简要讨论了各种感器的功能。结果显示:染翅蝎蛉触角上共发现7种感器,分别为短刺形感器、Bhm氏鬃毛、毛形感器、短毛形感器、锥形感器、刺形感器、和微毛形感器。中华蚊蝎蛉触角上也发现7种感器,分别为Bhm氏鬃毛、芽形感器、毛形感器、刺形感器、畸形毛感器、腔锥感器和钟形感器。蚊蝎蛉触角与蝎蛉的最大区别是着生有大量的腔锥感器,初步推测众多的腔锥感器可能与蚊蝎蛉对湿度的高度敏感有关。     

米仓山蚊蝎蛉二新种记述(长翅目:蚊蝎蛉科)

记述陕西南部米仓山蚊蝎蛉2新种,净翅蚊蝎蛉Bittacus puripennatus Cai et Hua和缠绕蚊蝎蛉Bittacus implicatus Huang et Hua。模式标本均保存在西北农林科技大学昆虫博物馆。     

中国大巴山蚊蝎蛉属一新种(长翅目,蚊蝎蛉科)

记述采自中国大巴山的蚊蝎蛉属1新种,周氏蚊蝎蛉Bittacus Choui sp.nov.,模式标本保存于西北农林科技大学昆虫博物馆,并通过人工饲养获得卵、幼虫和蛹等所有虫态,提供了成虫、卵、幼虫和蛹等虫态照片,绘制了雌雄外生殖器特征图,简要报道了新种的生物学和生活史.     

南五台蝎蛉成虫复眼的超微结构

采用扫描电镜和组织切片法,观察南五台蝎蛉Panorpa nanwutaina Chou成虫复眼的超微结构。南五台蝎蛉复眼近半椭球形,包括1500～1600个小眼。小眼表面光滑,由角膜、晶体、2个初级和12个次级色素细胞、视杆、以及基膜组成。角膜为多层片状纤维结构;晶体含有4个晶锥细胞;视杆由若干个视网膜细胞组成。晶体、视杆周围、和色素细胞内含有大量的色素颗粒,基膜两侧也有色素颗粒分布。南五台蝎蛉的复眼属于并列像眼。与普通蝎蛉P.communis L.小眼的次级色素细胞数目不同。讨论了南五台蝎蛉角膜的功能以及感觉毛和次级色素细胞在分类中的作用。     

蚊蝎蛉捕捉足构造

依据光学显微镜和扫描电镜观察，对扁蚊蝎蛉Bittacus planus Cheng和缠绕蚊蝎蛉Bittacus implicatus Huang et Hua成虫足的外部形态、肌肉组织及超微结构进行了描述和绘图。蚊蝎蛉成虫三对足结构相似，均为捕捉式，以高度特化的跗节捕捉猎物，各跗分节间具发达的关节、凹槽和爪缩肌肌腱膨大区，第4和5跗分节的齿形成嵌合构造，在昆虫纲中为该类群独有特征。首次发现胫节伸肌b由腿节基部发出的一小块三角形肌肉组织和一条长肌腱组成； 爪缩肌肌腱在第5跗分节凹槽末端有一突起，收缩时突起羁绊于凹槽内的“Y”字形底托。分析了成虫捕食行为与捕捉足构造之间的关系，并简要比较了蚊蝎蛉捕捉足与螳螂捕捉足的结构特点。     

蝎蛉科(长翅目)昆虫雌性生殖系统构造及其在分类学上的意义

蝎蛉科Panorpidae6种蝎蛉的雌性生殖系统间存在显著差异,尤其是卵巢管数目、受精囊包膜颜色、附腺大小、及各部分相互间位置。卵巢管为多滋式,每个卵巢所含卵巢管数目在长瓣蝎蛉Panorpa longihypovalva Hua et Cai和路氏新蝎蛉Neopanorpa lui Chou et Ran中为10根,在大蝎蛉P.magna Chou中为16根,在太白蝎蛉P.obtusa Cheng中为18根,在染翅蝎蛉P.tincta Navas中有28根,在长白山蝎蛉P.changbaishana nom.nov.中,一个卵巢一般由8根卵巢管组成,而另一个经常为10根,表明在同一个体中有不对称性。长白山蝎蛉的受精囊包膜为红色,而其它种类透明。大蝎蛉附腺在6种蝎蛉中最大,几乎与卵巢等粗。表明雌性生殖系统可用于蝎蛉科的种类鉴别,并简要讨论了长翅目Mecoptera的系统发育关系。此外,长白山蝎蛉Panorpa changbaishana Hua是为Panorpa choui Hua,1998所提订的新名。     

化石直脉蝎蛉科再分类(长翅目)

本文对化石直脉蝎蛉科(Orthophlebiidae)的分属做了再分类,仍保留该科内的 2个属:直脉蝎蛉属 Orthophlebia和原直脉蝎蛉属Protorthophlebia,解体中蝎蛉属Mesopanorpa。中蝎蛉属被解体后,其包含所有的种,如Rs1主干带3支或3支以上支脉,归入直脉蝎蛉属;如Rs1仅带2支支脉,归入原直脉蝎蛉属;原中蝎蛉属以Rs主干两倍长于MA主干作为属的分类根据,但这一属征常常导致分类上的混乱,故本文不作为属或亚属的分类根据。上述保留的2个属,再以Rs分支先于、后于或等于MA的特征,即Rs主干短于、长于或等于MA主干作为亚属的分类根据。以此,在直脉蝎蛉属Orthophlebia和原直脉蝎蛉属Protorthophlebia之下各自设立3个亚属(Hong et Zhang, 2004)。在已建立的6个亚属中,Orthophlebia(Brachyphlebia)Hong et Zhang, 2004和Protorthophlebia(Mecynophlebia)Hong et Zhang,2004分别修改为Orthophlebia(Orthophlebia)Westwood, 1845和Protorthophlebia(Protorthophlebia)Tillyard,1933的新异名。中生代直脉蝎蛉中脉的前支(MA)并非在古生代之后就完全消失。根据对中生代不同时期、不同层位、不同地区直脉蝎蛉和本目其他科在内化石标本的观察,中脉及其前、后支脉(MA、MP)仍然继续存在与发展。基于这种事实,本文认为直脉蝎蛉科脉序命名中沿用已久的Rs后支(Rs3 4)应为中脉的前支(MA),原来沿用的中脉(M)为中脉的后支(MP)。这样,有助于我们对长翅目中脉及其前、后(MA、MP)支脉的准确辨认,尤其是对MA脉在地史上变革、发展,以及与Rs脉的演化关系的认识可能有所裨益。     

Gradual acquisition of the developmental capacity to differentiate adult structures by the genital disc of Drosophila melanogaster

Summary Diplo-X flies homozygous for the transform-er-2 ^ts (tra-2 ^ts) mutation develop into females at 16° C, while they develop into males at 29° C (Belote and Baker 1982). By means of this conditional mutation, we have carried out a detailed analysis of the development of the genital disc. Temperature shifts between 16 and 29° C, in both directions, and temperature pulses at 29° C, have been applied during the larval growth of tra-2 ^ts homozygous diplo-X flies, and the external derivatives of the genital disc have been analysed. Genital discs shifted from 16 to 29° C rapidly lose their capacity to differentiate female genital structures, while they become able to differentiate male genital structures whose inventory is more complete the earlier in larval development the temperature shift is carried out; moreover, duplicated male genital structures were observed. In the shift from 29 to 16° C, the genital disc loses its capacity to differentiate male genital structures, while it becomes able to differentiate female genital structures. The inventory of male structures is smaller, and the inventory of the female structures is more complete, the earlier in larval development the temperature is shifted. No duplicated female or male genital structures were observed in the downshift experiment. With respect to the analia, the shift from 16 to 29° C resulted in the quick formation of pure male anal plates, while in the opposite shift the formation of pure female anal plates occurred gradually. Moreover, the time course for the dorsal and ventral anal plates to show normal female phenotype was different: when the dorsal anal plates were completely normal, it was still possible to find incomplete ventral anal plates. In the pulse experiment at 29° C, the genital disc is able to differentiate both female and male genital structures, although the inventory of the latter ones was not complete. In addition, the capacity of the genital disc to differentiate male genital structures depended on the duration of the temperature pulse. The anal plates were always female, although they showed a reduction in their size, the ventral female anal plate being more affected than the dorsal one. No male anal plates were observed. The results have revealed that the genital disc follows a sequence in its capacity to differentiate female or male adult structures. We suggest that this sequence reflects the sequence of determination events occurring in the genital disc during its larval growth. In addition, results shown here provide evidence for the existence in the female genital primordium of a set of cells capable of giving rise either to female genital structures (ventral vaginal plates) or to male genital structures (hypandrium and penis apparatus). We also present evidence supporting the previous idea of two primordia for the anal plates.     

A light- and electron-microscopic study on the migration of primordial germ cells in the teleost,Oryzias latipes

Summary The primordial germ cells (PGCs) of Oryzias latipes in migration to the gonadal anlage have been investigated by light and electron microscopy. The ultrastructure of the PGCs, which occur in the subendodermal space on the syncytial periblast, differ conspicuously from that of the surrounding endodermal cells. After the PGCs move to the cavity between lateral plate and ectoderm, they are taken into the somatomesodermal layer and transferred to the dorsal mesentery where they form gonadal anlage with mesodermal cells. During their translocation to the dorsal mesentery through the somatic mesoderm, apparently without formation of pseudopods, the PGCs are completely surrounded by mesodermal cells. Since these conditions seem unfavorable to the active translocation of the PGCs to the dorsal mesentery, it is more likely that the PGCs are transferred passively by the morphogenic activity of the lateral-plate mesoderm.Counts of the number of the PGCs revealed that they are mitotically dormant during the migratory period. After the completion of the migration, they regain their proliferative activity. The PGCs in the female proliferate more actively than those in the male, which provides the first morphological indication of sex differentiation in this species of fish.     

The whole-body shortening reflex of the medicinal leech: motor pattern,sensory basis,and interneuronal pathways

The leech whole-body shortening reflex consists of a rapid contraction of the body elicited by a mechanical stimulus to the anterior of the animal. We used a variety of reduced preparations — semi-intact, body wall, and isolated nerve cord — to begin to elucidate the neural basis of this reflex in the medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis. The motor pattern of the reflex involved an activation of excitatory motor neurons innervating dorsal and ventral longitudinal muscles (dorsal excitors and ventral excitors respectively), as well as the L cell, a motor neuron innervating both dorsal and ventral longitudinal muscles. The sensory input for the reflex was provided primarily by the T (touch) and P (pressure) types of identified mechanosensory neuron. The S cell network, a set of electrically-coupled interneurons which makes up a fast conducting pathway in the leech nerve cord, was active during shortening and accounted for the shortest-latency excitation of the L cells. Other, parallel, interneuronal pathways contributed to shortening as well. The whole-body shortening reflex was shown to be distinct from the previously described local shortening behavior of the leech in its sensory threshold, motor pattern, and (at least partially) in its interneuronal basis.Abbreviations conn connective - DE dorsal excitor motor neuron - DI dorsal inhibitor motor neuron - DP dorsal posterior nerve - DP:B1 dorsal posterior nerve branch 1 - DP:B2 dorsal posterior nerve branch 2 - MG midbody ganglion - VE ventral excitor motor neuron - VI ventral inhibitor motor neuron     

A new species,Gazza rhombea, from the Indo-West Pacific, with a redescription ofG. achlamys Jordan & Starks, 1917 (Perciformes: Leiognathidae)

Gazza rhombea sp.nov. is described from 61 type and 81 non-type specimens, 19–176 mm in standard length, collected from the Indo-West Pacific. The species is similar to other congeners in general body appearance, differing from them in having the dorsolateral surface of the body scaled anterior to the dorsal fin origin, but not reaching to a vertical through the tip of the posterior branch of the supratemporal canal (vs. dorsolateral surface of body naked anterior to base of sixth or seventh dorsal fin spine base inG. achlamys; dorsolateral surface of body with scales extending anteriorly beyond tip of posterior branch of supratemporal canal inG. minuta), and having a long narrow anterodorsal extension from the subocular silvery region, in contact with the orbit only proximally (vs. broad anterodorsal extension, with proximal and distal contact with orbit inG. dentex).Gazza rhombea is also distinguishable fromG. achlamys andG. minuta by the morphology of the first dorsal fin pterygiophore, and the neural and hemal spines of the fifth preural centrum. The new species has usually been misidentified asG. achlamys, which is redescribed here, owing to its similarly deep-bodied appearance.     

Innervation pattern of the gill arches and gills of the carp (Cyprinus carpio)

The innervation pattern of the respiratory gill arches of the carp (Cyprinus carpio) is described. The gill region is innervated by the branchial branches of the glossopharyngeal and vagal nerves. Each branchial nerve divides at the level of or just distal to the epibranchial ganglion into: 1) a pretrematic branch, 2) a dorsal pharyngeal branch, and 3) a posttrematic branch. The dorsal pharyngeal branch innervates the palatal organ in the roof of the buccal cavity. The pretrematic and posttrematic branches innervate the posterior and anterior halves, respectively, of the gill arches bordering a gill slit. Each branch splits into an internal and an external part. The internal bundle innervates the buccal side of the gill arch, including the gill rakers. The external bundle terminates in the gill filaments. The epibranchial motor branch, a small nerve bundle containing only motor fibers, circumvents the ganglion and anastomoses distally with the posttrematic branch. The detailed course and branching patterns of these branches are described.     

Surface specializations of the epithelial cells at the tip of the optic tentacle,dorsal surface of the head and ventral surface of the foot in Helix aspersa

Summary Morphologically the surface specializations of the epithelium covering the dorsal head and ventral foot regions in Helix aspersa consists either of cilia or microvilli respectively. The epithelium at the tip of the optic tentacle is a simple one. Each epithelial cell has a number of cilia-like projections from their free surfaces. These projections usually branch at their tips into two or three slender, microvilli-like structures. From the bases of the cilia-like projections arise numerous, tubular processes which form a thick, spongy layer interspersed between these projections. The microvilli-like structures are immersed in a fine, fibrous mat; unlike the fibrous mats on the dorsal head and ventral foot epithelia this material does not autofluoresce. It is suggested that it arises from the collar cells and not from typical mucocytes. The functional relationship between these surface specializations of the optic tentacle epithelium and the abundance of sensory axons in this region is discussed. These epithelial cell projections on the tentacle probably function not only as a protective covering but also to create a fluid trap for odours in the ambient air. The various contacts between epithelial cells serve to maintain the integrity of the epithelium while allowing for stretching due to protrusion of the tentacle.This work has been supported by the Australian Research Grants Committee.     

Determination of the shape of the operculum by the bithorax complex in Drosophila melanogaster

Summary We have studied the course of the operculum line in the larval hypoderm of several bithorax complex mutants of Drosophila melanogaster. The bifurcation of the line, a characteristic of the first abdominal segment in wild-type (A₁), can also appear in the metathoracic (T₃) and other abdominal segments (A₂, A₃) depending on mutations within the bithorax complex. Therefore, we concluded that the course of the operculum line and thus the shape of the operculum is not determined by a suprasegmental gradient of positional information but by the functional state of the genes of the bithorax complex in each metamere. The dorsal and ventral branches of the operculum line react differently, the dorsal branch being more sensitive to the effect of loss of function mutations (bxd, iab-2 ^k), the ventral branch more affected by gain of function mutations (Hab). In some cases the effects of the mutations on the operculum line differed from those in the adult, suggesting a difference in sensitivity of larval hypodermal cells and histoblast cells to the functional gene products of the bithorax complex.     

Origin and segregation of cranial placodes in Xenopus laevis

Cranial placodes are local thickenings of the vertebrate head ectoderm that contribute to the paired sense organs (olfactory epithelium, lens, inner ear, lateral line), cranial ganglia and the adenohypophysis. Here we use tissue grafting and dye injections to generated fate maps of the dorsal cranial part of the non-neural ectoderm for Xenopus embryos between neural plate and early tailbud stages. We show that all placodes arise from a crescent-shaped area located around the anterior neural plate, the pre-placodal ectoderm. In agreement with proposed roles of Six1 and Pax genes in the specification of a panplacodal primordium and different placodal areas, respectively, we show that Six1 is expressed uniformly throughout most of the pre-placodal ectoderm, while Pax6, Pax3, Pax8 and Pax2 each are confined to specific subregions encompassing the precursors of different subsets of placodes. However, the precursors of the vagal epibranchial and posterior lateral line placodes, which arise from the posteriormost pre-placodal ectoderm, upregulate Six1 and Pax8/Pax2 only at tailbud stages. Whereas our fate map suggests that regions of origin for different placodes overlap extensively with each other and with other ectodermal fates at neural plate stages, analysis of co-labeled placodes reveals that the actual degree of overlap is much smaller. Time lapse imaging of the pre-placodal ectoderm at single cell resolution demonstrates that no directed, large-scale cell rearrangements occur, when the pre-placodal region segregates into distinct placodes at subsequent stages. Our results indicate that individuation of placodes from the pre-placodal ectoderm does not involve large-scale cell sorting in Xenopus.     

Two essential processes in the formation of a dorsal axis during gastrulation ofCynops embryo

The isolated upper marginal zone from the initial stage ofCynops gastrulation is not yet determined to form the dorsal axis mesoderm: notochord and muscle. In this experiment, we will indicate where the dorsal mesoderm-inducing activity is localized in the very early gastrula, and what is an important event for specification of the dorsal axis mesoderm during gastrulation. Recombination experiments showed that dorsal mesoderm-inducing activity was localized definitively in the endodermal epithelium (EE) of the lower marginal zone, with a dorso-ventral gradient; and the EE itself differentiated into endodermal tissues, mainly pharyngeal endoderm. Nevertheless, when dorsal EE alone was transplanted into the ventral region, a secondary axis with dorsal mesoderm was barely formed. However, when dorsal EE was transplanted with the bottle cells which by themselves were incapable of mesoderm induction, a second axis with well-developed dorsal mesoderm was observed. When the animal half with the lower marginal zone was rotated 180° and recombined with the vegetal half, most of the rotated embryos formed only one dorsal axis at the primary blastopore side. The present results suggest that there are at least two essential processes in dorsal axis formation: mesoderm induction of the upper marginal zone by endodermal epithelium of the lower marginal zone, and dorsalization of the upper dorsal marginal zone evoked during involution.