Histochemical studies on the male accessory gland of Oxya velox (Insecta: Orthoptera).

Abstract

The male accessory gland of Oxya velox includes fourteen pair of tubules opening into the ejaculatory duct. Histochemically these tubules can be distinguished into six types (AG1--AG6). Their secretion is the mixture of polysaccharides (Glycogen, sialomucin and neutral mucopolysaccharides), proteins (-NH2 and SH groups, tyrosine, tryptophan, histidine and arginine) and lipids (neutral and phospholipids). The possible role of the accessory glands based on their histochemical analysis has been speculated.