PMID: 1201596Nov 26, 1975Paper

Ultrastructure of the larval firefly light organ as related to control of light emission

Cell and Tissue Research
D OertelJames F Case

Abstract

The firefly larva has a pair of light organs consisting of a layer of interdigitating, light emitting cells, covered dorsally with a layer of opaque, white cells. Each light organ is ventilated by one large and several smaller tracheal branches and is innervated by a branch of the segmental nerve containing two axons. These axons branch profusely in the photocyte layer so that several nerve profiles are seen around any photocyte. Nerve terminals contain large dense-core vesicles and small light-core vesicles. Clusters of light-core vesicles surrounding irregularly shaped membrane densifications, presumably the synapses between nerve and photocyte, are common in nerve terminals. Light emitting cells in insects characteristically contain photocyte vesicles. In the larva there are both full and empty photocyte vesicles; the full vesicles contain a matrix with tubular membrane invaginations in contrast to the empty vesicles which contain amorphous membrane invaginations.

Citations

May 1, 1983·Neuroscience·T A ChristensenA D Carlson
Jun 1, 1976·Photochemistry and Photobiology·J W Hastings, T Wilson
Sep 20, 2007·Annual Review of Entomology·Sara M Lewis, Christopher K Cratsley
Aug 1, 1977·Journal of Morphology·H Ghiradella
May 1, 1977·The American Journal of Anatomy·M Anctil, J F Case
May 1, 1979·The Journal of Experimental Zoology·J A Nathanson, E J Hunnicutt
Sep 9, 2011·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Lisa M Rigby, David J Merritt

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