Morphology of male sex organs and insemination in the grasshopper Taeniopoda eques (Burmeister).

Abstract

The functional morphology of the male genitalia and the insemination process of Taeniopoda eques were examined using scanning electron microscopy and dissections of mating pairs. Male accessory glands consist of 17 separate tubules belonging to eight categories. Males attach to females via a genital locking mechanism, with special motions of the four aedeagal valves aiding in insertion of the aedeagus. The male passes a series of spermatophores. Each is emptied of its spermatodesm contents, then extracted from the male and female genital tracts through motions of the aedeagal valves, while the pair remain in copulo. This allows the male to keep a strong hold on the female, presumably preventing usurpation by other males, while filling the spermatheca with sperm.