Morphology of the male reproductive tract in two species of phytophagous bugs (Pentatomidae: Heteroptera)

Abstract

Heteroptera is a diverse group with wide variety of life stories. Most Pentatomidae species are phytophagous and can be configure as important agricultural pests. In this work, the anatomy and histology of the male reproductive tract of Thyanta perditor (Fabricius, 1794) and Oebalus ypsilongriseus (De Geer, 1773) was described using light microscopy. In these species the male reproductive system consisted of a pair of testes, with four follicles each, a pair of deferent ducts, accessory glands, ejaculatory bulb and an ejaculatory duct. The deferent ducts were long and thin and flow into the ejaculatory bulb, where secretions from the accessory glands was also released. The ejaculatory bulb was continuous with the ejaculatory duct, which is connected to the aedeagus. In this work, the morphology of the reproductive system in two species of bedbugs expanding knowledge about the reproductive biology of Pentatomidae.