DOI: 10.1111/azo.70035 ISSN: 0001-7272
Anatomical and Histological Structures of the Male Reproductive System of
Chalcophora mariana
(Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae): Light and Scanning Electron Microscopy Study
Hicret Arslan, Selami Candan ABSTRACT
This study presents the first detailed morphological analysis of the male reproductive system of
Chalcophora mariana
(Linnaeus, 1758) using stereo microscopy, light microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The male reproductive system of
C. mariana
consists of a pair of testes, vas deferens, accessory glands, spermatophoral glands, and a single ejaculatory duct leading to the aedeagus. Each testis contains approximately 30 elongated follicles, while the vas deferens, located beneath the testes, transports mature sperm. The vas deferens connects directly to the ejaculatory duct, which is surrounded by a thick layer of muscle. The accessory glands are long, coiled tubes lined with a single layer of cylindrical cells. The heart‐shaped spermatophoral glands open into the ejaculatory duct, which contains pseudostratified epithelium and muscle layer. The ejaculatory duct is connected to the aedeagus by striated muscle bundles. The study identified notable interspecific differences in the number and shape of testicular follicles and in the morphology of accessory glands when compared to other Coleoptera species. These findings provide important morphological data contributing to future comparative and phylogenetic studies on male reproductive structures in Coleoptera.