Abstract
Antibody labelling and subsequent three-dimensional reconstructions of the primary olfactory centres, the antennal lobes, of male and female African malaria mosquitoes, Anopheles gambiae, revealed 61 and 60 glomerular neuropils respectively. In addition to the small difference in number of glomeruli, sexual dimorphism was observed in both the size of the antennal lobe and of individual glomeruli. Furthermore, sexual specificity was observed within the array. Anterograde staining of afferents from peripheral olfactory organs support the reconstruction of the glomerular array. Although anterograde stainings support an organotopic organization of the antennal lobe, convergence of afferents originating from different organs into single glomeruli is observed. This finding, in both A. gambiae and A. aegypti, may shed new light upon the development and function of the olfactory system.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 23-39 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Arthropod Structure and Development |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 2007 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- 3D reconstruction
- Glomeruli
- Olfaction
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Developmental Biology
- Insect Science