Xochipiltecatl David, Cordero Carlos, Baixeras Joaquín
Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de Mexico 04510, Mexico.
Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de Mexico 04510, Mexico.
Insects. 2022 Aug 8;13(8):714. doi: 10.3390/insects13080714.
The bursa copulatrix of female Lepidoptera is a complex organ where crucial male-female reproductive interactions occur during and after copulation. The bursa copulatrix receives, stores, and digests the spermatophore and other substances transferred by the male during copulation, and is involved in changes in female receptivity, ovogenesis, and oviposition. Although females of the butterfly do not digest the spermatophore, they possess a prominent signum. Since, in general, the function of the signum is considered to be the piercing or tearing of the spermatophore to initiate its digestion, its presence in poses a conundrum. We undertook a microscopic study of the different components of the bursa copulatrix (ductus bursae and corpus bursae) and found structural differences that we interpreted in functional terms. We provide a detailed description of the signum and present experimental data regarding its effect on the spermatophore. Our observations led us to propose a novel hypothesis regarding the function of the signum.
雌性鳞翅目昆虫的交尾囊是一个复杂的器官，在交配期间及之后会发生关键的雌雄生殖相互作用。交尾囊接收、储存并消化交配期间雄性传递的精包及其他物质，还参与雌性接受性、卵子发生和产卵的变化。虽然蝴蝶的雌性不会消化精包，但它们拥有一个显著的交配痕。一般来说，交配痕的功能被认为是刺穿或撕裂精包以启动其消化，因此它在蝴蝶中的存在构成了一个难题。我们对交尾囊的不同组成部分（囊管和囊体）进行了微观研究，发现了一些结构差异，并从功能角度对其进行了解释。我们提供了交配痕的详细描述，并给出了关于其对精包影响的实验数据。我们的观察结果使我们提出了一个关于交配痕功能的新假设。
