Article,
Regeneration of the tibia and somatotopy of regenerated hair sensilla in Schistocerca gregaria (Forskil)
ARTHROPOD STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT, 37 (3): 210-220 (2008)
Abstract
After injury many arthropods are able to regenerate lost body parts and
their innervation. Here, regeneration was studied in the desert locust
Schistocerca gregaria after amputation of the midleg tibia and tarsus
in the first larval instar. A regenerate was formed first in the third
larval instar and it increased in size with each larval moult. The
regenerate was always unsegmented and remained much shorter than the
intact leg parts. The growth rate was initially rather high and
decreased thereafter to that of intact parts. The amputation also
influenced the growth rate of proximal leg parts (femur and trochanter)
resulting in shortened leg segments. The regenerate carried many sense
organs like trichoid sensilla and canal sensilla. The primary
mechanosensory neurons of the trichoid sensilla projected
somatotopically into the mesothoracic ganglion. A comparison of these
projections from intact leg segments and regenerates showed a regrow
into the target neuropil areas and a restoration of the somatotopy.
Intact sensilla on the injured leg and regenerated sensilla expanded
their central projections lateral-medially. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All
rights reserved.
