Morphology and ultrastructure of the spermatozoa of Lonchoptera lutea Panzer, 1809 (Diptera: Lonchopteridae)
Lonchoptera lutea males produce giant spermatozoa that are more than 2000 mm long and 1.4 mm wide. Unlike the typical brachyceran spermatozoon, they have a highly asymmetrical cross section with only a single, albeit very large, mitochondrial derivative and a pair of massive accessory bodies, one of which extends throughout the entire length of the sperm tail. The accessory bodies consist of an electron dense matrix in which numerous peculiar electron lucid substructures are embedded. In the mated female, the giant spermatozoa are found inside two tubular spermathecae which are also extremely long, measuring 4000 mm or more.
Arthropod structure development