鳞翅目昆虫精巢融合的研究

昆虫精巢是产生精子并为精子发育提供营养和保护的重要器官．昆虫雄虫在幼虫期通常有左右对称的２个精巢．但是，部分昆虫如农业害虫斜纹夜蛾在从幼虫向蛹变态发育的过程中，２个精巢发生融合，合二为一，在蛹期最终完全融合成单个精巢；有些昆虫如经济昆虫家蚕的２个精巢并不融合，在成虫期仍保持分离．精巢融合显然是昆虫长期自然演化过程中形成的一种繁殖方式，有利于种群的繁殖和扩大．本文结合课题组的研究，对鳞翅目昆虫精巢的类型和结构、精子产生的过程、精巢融合的现象及其生物学意义以及在农业害虫防治上的潜在应用意义进行了简述．

The Study on Fusion of Testis in Lepidoptera Insects

Testis is an important organ in which spermatogenesis happens and nutrition and protection for the development of sperm is provided. In insect, there usually has two bilateral symmetry testes during larval stages, but in some insects of Lepidoptera such as agriculture pest Spodoptera litura, two testes fuse together during larval to pupal metamorphosis and one single testis is formed at pupal stage. However, in lepidopteron economic insect silkworm, two testes do not fuse during metamorphosis development and always keep separated in all developmental stages. In insect, fusion of testis in Lepidoptera may be a kind of reproductive mode formed after a long natural selection and evolution and may be benefit for the reproduction and enlargement of population. In this paper, testis types of Lepidoptera, the structure of testis, the process of spermatogenesis, fusion of testis, its biological significance and its potential application in pest control in agriculture are described and summarized.