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STRUCTURE, SENSORY EQUIPMENT, AND SECRETIONS OF THE OVIPOSITOR IN A GIANT SPECIES OF HYMENOPTERA: MEGARHYSSA ATRATA F. (ICHNEUMONIDAE, PIMPLINAE)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

Jean-Pierre Nénon ,
Nabila Kacem  and
Joseph Le Lannic
Jean-Pierre Nénon
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d' Écobio1ogie des Insectes Parasitoïdes, Campus de Beaulieu, Avenue du Général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France
Nabila Kacem
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d' Écobio1ogie des Insectes Parasitoïdes, Campus de Beaulieu, Avenue du Général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France
Joseph Le Lannic
Affiliation:
Centre Commun de Microscopie Électronique à Balayage, Campus de Beaulieu, Avenue du Général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France
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Abstract

Megarhyssa atrata F., the largest hymenopteran parasitoid known, is found in the holarctic. The stylus of its ovipositor can reach a length of 142 mm, the longest of all known genitalia in Arthropoda. This pimpline parasitizes its host, Tremex columba L., at a great depth in wood. Valvulae 3, which are always shorter than the stylus, are characterized on their outer side by abundant trichoid sensilla of three different types, and on their inner side by a dense layer of cuticular spines probably used in cleaning and shielding the stylus while at rest. The joint region between stylus and abdominal segments is richly equipped with mechanoreceptive trichoid and campaniform sensilla. The ovipositor canal is located between the two valvulae 1 which are separate for their entire length and supported proximally by the two valvulae 2 which are joined to each other from the base. The distal end of the stylus, shaped like an indented lancet, has secretory pores, the first such to be observed in Hymenoptera, from which accessory gland secretions flow. These secretions reach the end of the stylus by intravalvular canals in valvulae 1 and 2. These substances, which may cause cell lysis and also act as lubricants, can accumulate among the tens of thousands of cuticular formations distributed along the stylus which are thought to be surface storage cavities for the secretions. The sensory equipment of the stylus consists of six rows of approximately 200 mechanoreceptive campaniform sensilla. The ovipositor of M. atrata is thus characterized by almost exclusively mechanoreceptive sensory equipment; chemical stimuli appear to be monitored by two types of trichoid sensilla on valvulae 3. The finding that secretory pores occupy exactly the same sites as chemoreceptors in Ichneumonidae, Chalcidoidea, and Proctotrupoidea demonstrates the importance of studying the ovipositor of this parasitoid adapted to withstanding extreme pressures as it penetrates deep into wood.

Résumé

Megarhyssa atrata F., le plus grand Hyménoptère parasitoïde connu, est une espèce holarctique. Le stylet de son ovipositeur peut atteindre 142 mm, ce qui en fait l’appareil génital le plus long qui prévale chez un arthropode. Ce pimpliné trouve son hôte, Tremex columba L., profondément enfoui dans le bois. Les valvules 3, toujours plus courtes que le stylet, comportent d’abondantes sensilles trichoïdes de trois types sur leur bordure externe, et leur bordure interne est ornée d’une couche dense d’épines cuticulaires qui servent probablement au nettoyage et à la protection du stylet au repos. La jonction entre le stylet et les segments abdominaux comporte de nombreuses sensilles trichoïdes et campaniformes mécanoréceptrices. Le canal de l’ovipositeur est situé entre les deux valvules 1 qui sont séparées sur toute leur longueur et supportées dans leur partie proximale par les deux valvules 2 qui, elles, sont soudées depuis la base. L’extrémité distale du stylet, en forme de lancette dentelée, comporte des pores sécréteurs, les premiers jamais observés chez un Hyménoptère, par lesquels s’écoulent les sécrétions des glandes accessoires. Les sécrétions atteignent l’extrémité du stylet par les canaux intravalvulaires des valvules 1 et 2; ces substances, qui peuvent causer des lyses cellulaires et servir de lubrifiants, s’ accumulent sur les dizaines de milliers de formations cuticulaires du stylet qui jouent probablement le rôle de cavités superficielles de réserve des sécrétions. L’appareil sensoriel du stylet est constitué de six rangées d’environ 200 sensilles campaniformes mécanoréceptrices. Les structures sensorielles de l’oviscapte de M. atrata sont donc presque exclusivement mécanoréceptrices; les stimulus chimiques semblent perçus par deux types de sensilles trichoïdes sur les valvules 3. La position de pores sécréteurs à l’endroit où se trouvent les chimiorécepteurs des Ichneumonidae, Chalcidoidea et Proctotrupoidea, démontre à quel point il est important d’étudier les mécanismes d’adaptation de l’oviscapte de ce parasitoïde capable de subir des pressions extrêmes au cours de sa pénétration dans le bois.

[Traduit par la Rédaction]

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 129 , Issue 5 , October 1997 , pp. 789 - 799
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1997

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