Study of spermatogenesis and behavior nucleolar species of economic importance of the family Pentatomidae (Heteroptera)

• Grant number: 09/14011-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2009
• End date: November 30, 2010
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Mary Massumi Itoyama
• Grantee: Juliana de Moura
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Heteroptera Pentatomidae family are phytophagous, causing large losses to agriculture, can directly affect humans. Besides this characteristic, the cytogenetic study of this family, is extremely scarce. They have, mostly, 2n = 14 chromosomes (2n = 12A + XY), present testes formed by lobes, one of which is sometimes called harlequin by producing different types of spermatozoa. It was reported that 22 species belonging to 15 genera and three subfamilies (Discocephalinae, Edessinae and Pentatominae) having this lobe, which is responsible for the production of spermatozoa with various functions such as providing nutrients to females, help move the spermatozoa and / or remove / take the stock up spermatozoa in the female. Antiteuchus tripterus presents six lobes, with the 6th internal to the 5th. This species has harlequin lobe and the results indicated that the meiotic behavior and spermiogenesis are different among different lobes. Already, Oebalus poecilus, O. ypsilongriseus and Mormidae quinqueluteum, for example, do not present the harlequin lobe. Considering the several characteristics and economic importance of the family Pentatomidae, the objective of this project is to establish if these species possess the harlequin lobe, analyze in detail the spermatogenesis (meiotic behavior and spermiogenesis) and the behavior of nucleolar species Dichelops melacanthus, Piezodorus guildinii and proxys albopunctulatus (Pentatomidae: Pentatominae).