Variations dans la structure du cône femelle deStachycarpus spicata(Podocarpacées), en relation avec la présence d'une larve de Cecidomyiidae, Diptère, au niveau du complexe séminal (epimatium + ovule)

Abstract

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image sizeSummaryDescription of abnormal female cone of Stachycarpus spicata; the modifications, restricted essentially to the seminal complex (epimatium and ovule) are caused by insect larvae which occupy the epimatial cavity. The larvae prevent the development of sporogenous tissue (macrosporangium: nucellus) and they influence the development of vascular tissue which forms, around each parasite, an enveloping urn-shaped structure with an opening at their top. The larvae also cause the growth of heterogenous parenchyma to form an epimatial chamber with a number of folds. The epimatial cavity may be inhabited by several larvae, each in its own chamber.