Male tegumental glands in the cavernicolous woodlouse Cyphonethes herzegowinensis (Verhoeff, 1900) (Crustacea: Isopoda: Trichoniscidae)

Male tegumental glands are present in some species of woodlice (Isopoda, Trichoniscidae Sars, 1899). The cave trichoniscid Cyphonethes herzegowinensis (Verhoeff, 1900) possesses such structures on the first and second segment of the pereon, but little has been known about their fine structure or the nature of underlying glands. We analyzed the distribution, architecture, and ultrastructure of male glands in this species with 3D-reconstruction from serial paraffin sections, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. There are two types of male rosette glands; type 1 glands are present under the epidermis of the cephalothorax and the first pereonite, whereas type 2 glands are located above the gut in the first and second pereonites. Glands consist of several secretory cells positioned around a central cell that gathers the secretory products conveyed to it through ductules formed as invaginations of the plasma membrane of secretory cells. The central cell is connected to a canal cell, which forms the secretory duct. Type 1 glands comprise 2 or 3 secretory cells, whereas type 2 glands consist of 5-7 secretory cells. While the secretory pores of type 1 glands are scattered, type 2 glands secrete through concentrated pores in a tuft of setules on the second pereonite. The secretory cells of both gland types have a well-developed rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus and are filled with electron dense secretory granules, suggesting the production of peptides or glycoproteins possibly involved in mating.