@GromesRoland: Kommen wir zur größten Gruppe der #Insekten - den #Käfer|n (#Coleoptera) mit fast 500.000 beschriebenen Arten, davon ~8.000 in Deutschland. Los geht's mit der Untergruppe Adephaga, hier...

Epidermal glands are well-known in adult beetles, but their presence and function are less studied in larvae. This study reveals, for the first time for the family Leiodidae, the morphology and ultrastructure of epidermal, paired glands of abdominal segments present in larvae. They are documented in all larval stages of the scavenger beetle Sciodrepoides watsoni watsoni (using a multimodal microscopic approach: light and scanning electron, and transmission electron microscopy). Overview of these structures is also documented for other representatives of Leiodidae and Agyrtidae, basal lineages of the megadiverse Staphylinoidea. Structures differ in their position relative to a transverse cuticle fold, in the size and shape of the perforate cuticular area, and in the position and form of their openings. Their ultrastructure in Sciodrepoides watsoni watsoni strongly indicates a secretory function. All abdominal segmental glands are formed by a complex of (1) regular class 1 gland cells ty

Belongs within: Coleopterida.Contains: Adephaga, Archostemata, Myxophaga, Scirtoidea, Staphylinoidea, Hydrophiloidea, Scarabaeoidea, Elateriformia, Bostrichoidea, Coccinelloidea, Tenebrionoidea, Cleroidea, Cucujoidea, Phytophaga. The Coleoptera, beetles, are one of the most diverse groups of insects with over 300,000 species. The earliest beetles were probably inhabitants of subcortical and interstitial spaces in wood (Kirejtshuk & Nel 2013) but they have since diversified… Continue reading Coleoptera