Growth and regeneration of the eye of the larvae ofAeshna cyanea Müll. (Odonata, Anisoptera)

Abstract

The growth of the eye inAeshna cyanea has been studied by several experiments involving removal, regeneration and heterotopic grafts.The results show that the ommatidia do not develop from any stemcells that are permanent during the whole larval life. In fact the ommatidia grow by progressive recruitment of vertex epidermal cells on a level with a transitory zone (the eye budding zone) which progress through this epidermis.The eye budding zone regenerates only from the competent cells of the vertex in contact with differentiated ommatidia. Contact between ommatidia and epidermal cells from another area does not allow regeneration of the eye.The results are discussed and we propose an hypothesis explaining the larval eye's growth by means of these findings on its regeneration.