Morphology of the Female Reproductive System in Carpocoris mediterraneus Tamanini, 1958 (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Carpocoris mediterraneus is a polyphagous vegetarian. Adult females of C. mediterraneus were collected in Aksu, Antalya, in June 2018. In this study, the morphological structures of female reproductive system of C. mediterraneus, which has not been studied before, was investigated under light and electron microscopies. The female reproductive system of C. mediterraneus was composed of a pair of ovaries, lateral oviducts, a common oviduct, accessory gland and spermatheca. Each ovary consisted of six telotrophic meroistic type ovarioles. Each ovariole consisted a terminal filament, germarium, vitellarium, and pedicel. In the germarium region, there was a trophic core, trophocytes, young oocytes and prefollicular cells. Vitellarium contained three oocytes at various stages of maturity (previtelogenesis, vitellogenesis, choriogenesis). The ovarioles were connected via pedicels to a pair of short lateral oviducts and subsequently to a common oviduct. The spermatheca of C. mediterraneus consisted a spermathecal bulb, a pumping region, the distal duct, dilation region, proximal duct and genital chamber. The spermathecal bulb was oval in shape and strongly chitinized. Its lumen typically contains a large number of spermatozoa.