New morphological observation of the female bacterial pockets in the cleonines (Coleoptera Curculionidae)

The typical "female transmission pockets" of the subf. Cleoninae were examined in nine species of the genera Cleonis, Larinus, Lixus and Rhinocyllus. They correspond to the female collateral glands and are lacking in Larinus scolymi. Three morphological types of these glands were found: accordion-, sac- and bush-like. Observed in Lixus punctiventris, the epithelium of these organs exhibits largely nucleated cells, each rich of microvilli at apical end. The dense bacterial contents indicate a large percentage of paired rods, each 2-3 mu-m long.