Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-007 Katowice, Poland.
Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Nagano, Japan.
Micron. 2020 Nov;138:102930. doi: 10.1016/j.micron.2020.102930. Epub 2020 Aug 22.
Stomaphis Walker is an obligatorily myrmecophilous, tree-trunk feeding aphid genus, having many peculiar features in its morphology. One poorly studied trait is its perianal anatomy, with suspected existence of trophobiotic organ and intriguing tubercles near abdominal segment VIII. Tubercles on rear end of abdomen in Stomaphis were considered to be marginal tubercles, structure typical of aphids. Only after their investigation under scanning electron microscope they revealed to possess a very rough surface, consisting of many protuberant, sclerotic scales with finger-like processes. Analysis and comparison with other aphids suggests, that these structures - perianal tubercles - may be considered remnants of abdominal sternite IX, atrophied in aphids. Due to their similarity to the surface of cauda of non myrmecophilous aphids, they are suspected to serve as sort of auxiliary caudas, protecting from sticky secretions of aphids e. g. honeydew or mucus while giving birth or ovipositing in confined space. A very well developed trophobiotic organ in this genus has been shown to exist for the first time.
树缝食蚜蝇属（Stomaphis Walker）是一种强制性的蚁共生蚜虫，其形态具有许多独特的特征。一个研究较少的特征是其肛前解剖结构，据推测存在营养器官和腹部第八节附近有趣的结节。在 Stomaphis 腹部后端的结节被认为是边缘结节，这是蚜虫的典型结构。只有在扫描电子显微镜下观察后，才发现它们具有非常粗糙的表面，由许多突起的、硬化的鳞片组成，带有指状突起。与其他蚜虫的分析和比较表明，这些结构——肛前结节——可能被认为是腹部第九腹板的残余物，在蚜虫中已经萎缩。由于它们与非蚁共生蚜虫尾部表面的相似性，它们可能被怀疑作为某种辅助尾部，在有限的空间中分娩或产卵时，防止蚜虫的粘性分泌物（如蜜露或粘液）。该属中首次显示出存在非常发达的营养器官。
