Department of Entomology & Nematology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL, 60605, USA.
Arthropod Struct Dev. 2020 Jan;54:100913. doi: 10.1016/j.asd.2020.100913. Epub 2020 Jan 28.
Mate choice, copulation, genital morphology, and sperm storage are not very well understood in millipedes. The use of three-dimensional x-ray computed tomography (μCT) provides new morphological data regarding millipede reproductive systems in both the female and male, including chitinous sclerites and membranes, muscles, glands, oviducts, and sperm conduits. Here we present a complete integrated account of the morphology and function of the female genital organs in the family Polydesmidae (Diplopoda: Polydesmida) using μCT, UV fluorescence imaging, and scanning electron microscopy. These data allow us to consider competing hypotheses regarding millipede vulva formation. We additionally present the morphology of copulatory interface in Pseudopolydesmus Attems, 1898 using images of a mating pair in copula and by simulating the interface of the organs using 3D models from μCT, allowing us to tentatively identify a lock-and-key-like mechanism. Finally, we use μCT to reveal the topology of the seminal canal in the gonopod of male Pseudopolydesmus, a topic that has remained unresolved for nearly 80 years.
在多足类动物中，交配选择、交配、生殖器形态和精子储存的机制尚未得到很好的理解。使用三维 X 射线计算机断层扫描（μCT）可以为雌性和雄性多足类动物的生殖系统提供有关其甲壳质硬板和膜、肌肉、腺体、输卵管和精子道的新形态学数据。在这里，我们使用μCT、紫外线荧光成像和扫描电子显微镜完整地描述了多形目（多足纲：多形目）Polydesmidae 科雌性生殖器的形态和功能。这些数据使我们能够考虑有关多足类动物阴门形成的竞争假说。此外，我们还展示了 Pseudopolydesmus Attems，1898 交配接口的形态，使用正在交配的配对图像，并通过使用μCT 的 3D 模型模拟器官的接口，我们可以初步确定一种类似锁和钥匙的机制。最后，我们使用μCT 揭示了雄性 Pseudopolydesmus 中生殖器节的精管拓扑结构，这个问题已经困扰了将近 80 年。
