IMMUNOCYTOCHEMICAL STUDY OF THE RED PIGMENT CONCENTRATING MATERIAL IN THE EYESTALK OF THE PRAWN PALAEMON SERRATUS PENNANT USING RABBIT ANTISERA AGAINST THE INSECT ADIPOKINETIC HORMONE.

Using antisera produced against different parts of the insect adipokinetic hormone (AKH), it was possible to detect adipokinetic hormone-reactive peptides in the eyestalk of the prawn Palaemon serratus. Immunopositive staining was obtained in some neurosecretory cells of the medulla externa X organ (MEX), of the medulla terminalis X organ 2 (MTGX-2), in the lower part of the sinus gland, and in the nerve joining the medulla terminalis X organs to this neurohemal gland. The biological activity of synthetic AKH and RPCH (red pigment concentrating hormone) was tested on the movement of the red pigment in the chromatophores of the prawn and compared to the activity of extracts derived from immunoreactive tissue regions.

Immunocytochemical study of crustacean hyperglycemic hormone in the eyestalks of the prawn Palaemon serratus (Pennant) and some other Palaemonidae, in relation to variations in the blood glucose level.

With the use of rabbit antisera against crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (CHH), it is possible to describe a distinct immunopositive reaction in a group of neurosecretory cells in the medulla terminalis ganglionic X-organ (MTGX ), in the MTGX-sinus gland tract, and in a considerable part of the sinus gland from several species of prawns belonging to the Palaemonidae. By introductory studies on the CHH system in Palaemon serratus, we can postulate a sequence in the activity cycle of the CHH-producing cells on the basis of differences in staining intensity of the immunoreaction and such morphometric parameters as cellular and nuclear diameter. By studying the CHH-producing system in combination with variations in the glucose level of the blood, an "inverse relationship" is observed between the number of immunoreactive cells and the blood glucose level during different periods of the year as well as during different stages of the molting cycle.

Presence and development of a sensory formation in the eyestalk of the crayfish, Astacus leptodactylus (Nordmann, 1842), during its embryonic, larval and adult life.

A sensory papilla is described in the eyestalk of the crayfish Astacus leptodactylus during the last embryonic stages and during larval stages by light microscopy. This region was also investigated with the scanning electron microscopy, which showed sensory hairs in the postmolt adult; they disappear during intermolt and premolt. Simultaneous cyclic changes in hair papillae are observed in the hypodermis.