Sperm Passage in the Female European Corn Borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner)

Abstract

Mated and unmated female European corn borers raised in the laboratory were sacrificed and arbitrarily placed into two groups. The abdomens from one group were dissected and observed in saline. The abdomens from the second group were fixed, embedded in paraffin, and sectioned on a microtome. Through the use of serial section slides and serial morphology the path taken by sperm through the various ducts in the female reproductive tract was delineated. A possible time sequence is established for sperm passage between termination of copulation and arrival of sperm in the spermatheca.