Morphological and ultrastructural studies of the internal reproductive systems of two deltocephaline leafhoppers, Nephotettix cincticeps and Deltocephalus vulgaris (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Deltocephalinae)

Abstract

Insects have highly variable reproductive systems, reflecting a diversity of reproductive strategies and adaptations. Such variation has been widely used to classify and estimate phylogenetic relationships. Here, the morphology and ultrastructure of the internal reproductive systems of two leafhopper species are described and illustrated, using both light and transmission electron microscopy, and representing two tribes of Deltocephalinae: in Chiasmini, Nephotettix cincticeps (Uhler, 1896), and in Deltocephalini, Deltocephalus vulgaris (Dash & Viraktamath, 1998). Tables comparing the morphology of male and female internal reproductive structures of these studied species are provided and indicate that the main differences are in the relative shapes, sizes, and colors of these structures. The overall structure and organization, including details of the ultrastructure, of these two leafhopper species’ male and female internal reproductive systems are very similar to those of previously studied leafhoppers. The main differences observed among species include the number of testicular follicles, the relative position of seminal vesicles and the degree of development of the accessory glands in the male, the number of ovaries, and the shape and color of the vagina and spermatheca in the female.