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The morphology of suboesophageal ganglion cells innervating the nervus corporis cardiaci III of the locust

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Summary

The nervus corporis cardiaci III (NCC III) of the locust Locust migratoria was investigated with intracellular and extracellular cobalt staining techniques in order to elucidate the morphology of neurons within the suboesophageal ganglion, which send axons into this nerve. Six neurons have many features in common with the ‘dorsal, unpaired, median (DUM)’ neurons of thoracic and abdominal ganglia. Three other cells have cell bodies contralateral to their axons (contralateral neuron 1–3; CN 1–3). Two of these neurons (CN2 and CN3) appear to degenerate after imaginal ecdysis. CN3 innervates pharyngeal dilator muscles via its anterior axon in the NCC III, and a neck muscle via an additional posterior axon within the intersegmental nerve between the suboesophageal and prothoracic ganglia. A large cell with a ventral posterior cell body is located close to the sagittal plane of the ganglion (ventral, posterior, median neuron; VPMN). Staining of the NCC III towards the periphery reveals that the branching pattern of this nerve is extremely variable. It innervates the retrocerebral glandular complex, the antennal heart and pharyngeal dilator muscles, and has a connection to the frontal ganglion.

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Abbreviations

AH :

antennal heart

AN :

antennal nerves

AO :

aorta

AV :

antennal vessel

CA :

corpus allatum

CC :

corpus cardiacum

CN1, CN2, CN3 :

contralateral neuron 1–3

DIT :

dorsal intermediate tract

DMT :

dorsal median tract

DUM :

dorsal, unpaired, median

FC :

frontal connective

FG :

frontal ganglion

HG :

hypocerebral ganglion

LDT :

lateral dorsal tract

LMN, LSN :

labral motor and sensory nerves

LN+FC :

common root of labral nerves and frontal connective

LO :

lateral ocellus

MDT :

median dorsal tract

MDVR :

ventral root of mandibular nerve

MVT :

median ventral tract

NCA I, II :

nervus corporis allati I, II

NCC I, II, III :

nervus corporis cardiaci I, III

NR :

nervus recurrens

NTD :

nervus tegumentarius dorsalis

N8 :

nerve 8 of SOG

OE :

oesophagus

OEN :

oesophageal nerve

PH :

pharynx

SOG :

suboesophageal ganglion

T :

tentorium

TVN :

tritocerebral ventral nerve

VLT :

ventral lateral tract

VIT :

ventral intermediate tract

VMT :

ventral median tract

VPMN :

ventral, posterior, median neuron

1–7 :

peripheral nerves of the SOG

36, 37, 40–45 :

pharyngeal dilator muscles

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  1. Institut für Zoologie, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany

    Peter Bräunig

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Bräunig, P. The morphology of suboesophageal ganglion cells innervating the nervus corporis cardiaci III of the locust. Cell Tissue Res 260, 95–108 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00297494

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