Prolonged persistence of neuroblast clusters in the optic lobes of the ground beetles Carabus nemoralis Müll. and C. hortensis L. (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Abstract

Prolonged persistence of neuroblast clusters has been revealed in the adult optic lobes of Carabus nemoralis and C. hortensis. These ground beetles were shown to differ considerably from many other holometabolous insects studied, in which the optic anlagen degenerate early in the first half of the pupal stage. It is supposed that long-lasting persistence of the optic anlagen in Carabus reflects the general prolongation of neurogenesis in Coleoptera.