Microscopic view of the reproductive system of an old female Lucanus cervus
Photo courtesy of Dr. Masahiko Tanahashi
Microscopic view of the reproductive system of an old female Lucanus cervus
Photo courtesy of Dr. Masahiko Tanahashi
Lucanus cervus females have a pair of ovaries with 12 ovarioles each [1], but one can't see all of them because they were rather damaged. This is not at all surprising, she had reached the end of her reproductive life by the time she was shipped.
However, judging from the presence of the “yellow bodies” in the proximal part of every ovariole, she might have ovulated from both ovaries [2].
More good news: the Pichia yeasts in the mycangium of the dead female survived the journey, therefore Dr. Masahiko Tanahashi was able to culture and isolate them successfully, see below. This was the main reason why this female went to Japan because it seems that each stag beetle species has its own specific Pichia yeasts and there are no Lucanus cervus in Japan [3].
Symbiotic Pichia yeasts isolated from the mycangium of Lucanus cervus (dead specimen).
Photo Masahiko Tanahashi, 2012.
This female would have passed on these micro-organisms to the next generation when she laid her eggs.
References:
[1] -
Ritcher, P.O. & Baker, C.O. (1974) - Ovariole numbers in Scarabaeoidea (Coleoptera: Lucanidae, Passalidae, Scarabaeidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 76(4): 480 - 494.
[2] - Female Reproductive System - An interesting archived tutorial by Dr. John R. Meyer, NC State University.
[3] - Tanahashi, M., Kubota, K., Matsushita, N. & Togashi, K. (2010) - Discovery of mycangia and the associated xylose-fermenting yeasts in stag beetles (Coleoptera: Lucanidae). Naturwissenschaften 97: 311-317.
Created: 10 Sep 2012
Last modified: 16 April 2023
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