Ultrastruttura delle ghiandole accessorie maschili di Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) e preliminare caratterizzazione del loro secreto

Fine structure of the male reproductive accessory glands of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) and preliminary characterization of their secretion The male reproductive accessory glands of the medfly Ceratitis capitata consist of two main different types of glands: one type is formed by long slender tubular glands of mesodermal origin; the second type by ectodermally derived short finger-like and/or branched structures with spongy appearance. Both these types of glands flow into a common chamber from which the ejaculatory duct prolongs. The short glands show a huge subcuticular cavity surrounded by laminar cytoplasm provided with long and slender microvilli protruding into the cavity. An electron transparent secretion is present in the cavity from which it passes through minute pores of the cuticular intima and it is stored in the gland lumen. The secretion contains protein material. The tubular glands show binucleated and microvillated cells rich in smooth endoplasmic reticulum and large polymorphic mitochondria. A secretion containing lipids flows into the narrow gland lumen.