The bursa compulatrix of the Monarch butterfly was investigated utilizing light microscopy, histochemistry, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy in order to relate its morphology to the release of sperm from the spermatophore. The bursa has a row of large chitinous teeth on either side of the organ. The dorsal and ventral surfaces are covered with chitinous plates, the plates having bristles on one side.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe ultrastructure of the spermatheca of the reproductive tract in the pulmonate snail, Sonorella santaritana, was investigated. This organ has a debris-filled lumen and an outer wall which can be divided into three distinct layers. The cell layer adjacent to the lumen is comprised of two cell types, tall columnar epithelial cells with microvilli and cells lacking microvilli.
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