The structure of the terminal filament, the ovariole sheath and the oviduct musculature of the Colorado Beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say, 1824)

In the Colorado Beetle, the terminal filament cells resemble the epidermal cells which connect muscle cells with the cuticle, the so-called tendon cells. They contain many microtubules which have projections interconnecting them. The microtubules are also connected by these projections to desmosomes. The tunica propria is a basement membrane-like layer of low elasticity. It separates the terminal filament from the germarium. The outer ovariole sheath is a muscle sheath which is continuous with the muscle sheath around the oviducts. The whole muscle sheath consists of a monolayer network. Sarcolemmal invaginations at the I band and at the Z line probably form part of one T system. The cuticle of the common oviduct has scales with long caudally directed spines. The rostral attachment of the muscle sheath corresponds to the existing descriptions of tendon cells. The attachment of the muscle sheath to the cuticle of the common oviduct is different.