Abstract
Simple SummaryIt is well documented that silkworms (Saturniidae) possess silk glands’ accessory glandular organs, the Filippi’s glands (FGs). These accessory glands are believed to play an important role in the cocoon construction. Unexpectedly, we have identified several silk moth species that are completely missing the FGs during the entire larval development and still produce fully functional cocoons. This finding suggests that the role of FGs is not crucial for the cocoon spinning.The Filippi’s glands (FGs), formerly “Lyonet’s glands”, are paired accessory organs associated with the silk glands. They are unique to Lepidoptera caterpillars and their exact role is not clear. The FGs are thought to be involved in the construction of a silk cocoon in bombycoid moths. FGs can differ in size and shape, therefore, in this study we attempt to find a correlation between FG morphology and phylogenetic position within the Bombycoidea. We use light and electron microscopy to examine the presence and morphology of FGs in a range of wild (giant) silk moths and several related species. Our results confirm that the majority of studied silk moth species have complex type of FGs that continuously increase in size during larval development. We identified several species of giant silk moths and two hawk moth species that completely lack FGs throughout their larval development. Finally, in several hawk moth species in which FGs are well developed during the first larval stage, these glands do not grow and remain small during later larval growth. Our results suggest that FGs are not critical for spinning and that loss of FGs occurred several times during the evolution of saturniids and sphingids. Comparison of FGs in different moths is an important first step in the elucidation of their physiological significance.
Highlights
The main structures responsible for cocoon construction are the silk glands (SGs), which represent modified labial glands and form a large portion of the caterpillar body mass
It has been suggested that Filippi’s glands (FGs) may play several important roles in the process of maturation of silk material in the anterior silk glands (ASGs) as well as in the process of silk spinning
We examined the larvae of fourteen selected representatives of main clades of the family Saturniidae (Figure 1)
Summary
The main structures responsible for cocoon construction are the silk glands (SGs), which represent modified labial glands and form a large portion of the caterpillar body mass. The SGs are associated with paired small accessory glands, called the Filippi’s glands (FGs). It has been suggested that FGs may play several important roles in the process of maturation of silk material in the anterior silk glands (ASGs) as well as in the process of silk spinning. FGs have been associated with the production of lubricant for silk fibers [2,3], transport of small solutes (ions, sugars, and amino acids) to ASGs [4], and the biosynthesis of fatty acids [5] and lipids [6]. The exact role of FGs in silk filament formation and silk spinning has not been fully elucidated. Since the complete removal of FGs in B. mori had no obvious effect on silk spinning behavior or silk quality [7,8], the role of FGs in cocoon spinning is probably only supplementary
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
