Histology of Aggregation Pheromone Gland in the Red Flour Beetle12

Abstract

An exocrine gland, the probable site of an aggregation pheromone, is formed by modification of epidermal cells beneath the setiferous sex patch on the male prothoracic femur of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst). The gland cell possesses a duct formed by an invagination of the cuticle. The mature epithelium is composed of goblet-shaped cells. Internal and external morphological evidence is presented suggesting the mechanism for pheromone release.