Insect Laboratory, Gaoxin Campus, Xi'an Medical University, 168# West Part of South 2nd Ring Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710075, China.
College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.
Sci Rep. 2019 Jan 29;9(1):897. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-37354-4.
Springtails (Collembola) are unique in Hexapoda for bearing a ventral tube (collophore) on the first abdominal segment. Although numerous studies have been conducted on the functions of the ventral tube, its fine structure has not been thoroughly elucidated to date. In this paper, we observed the jumping behavior of the clover springtail Sminthurus viridis (Linnaeus, 1758) and dissected the ventral tube using light microscopy to elucidate the fine structure and the possible function of the ventral tube. The results show that a pair of eversible vesicles can be extended from the apical opening of the ventral tube. The eversible vesicles are furnished with numerous small papillae, and can be divided into a basal part and a distal part. The eversible vesicles have a central lumen connected to the tiny papillae and leading to the body cavity. The eversible vesicles can reach any part of the body, and may serve as following functions: (a) absorbing moisture; (b) uptaking water; (c) cleaning the body surface; and (d) fastening the body on a smooth surface.
跳虫（Collembola）在六足动物中是独特的，因为它们在第一个腹节上有一个腹管（collophore）。尽管已经对腹管的功能进行了大量研究，但迄今为止，其精细结构尚未得到彻底阐明。在本文中，我们观察了三叶草跳虫 Sminthurus viridis（Linnaeus，1758）的跳跃行为，并使用光学显微镜对腹管进行了解剖，以阐明腹管的精细结构和可能的功能。结果表明，一对可外翻的泡囊可以从腹管的顶端开口处伸出。可外翻的泡囊上附有许多小的乳突，可以分为基部和远端两部分。可外翻的泡囊有一个中央腔，与微小的乳突相连，并通向体腔。可外翻的泡囊可以到达身体的任何部位，可能具有以下功能：（a）吸收水分；（b）摄取水分；（c）清洁身体表面；（d）将身体固定在光滑的表面上。
