Histology and ultrastructure of pheromone secreting glands in males of the phlebotomine sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis.

Well-defined pheromone-producing glands are present on the third and fourth abdominal segments of male Lutzomyia longipalpis. Each gland consists of numerous large secretory cells. The individual cells have a complicated 'end-apparatus' and central reservoir which are connected directly to the exterior via a small chitinized duct. This is the first ultrastructural study of pheromone secreting cells of Diptera.