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Updated: Oct 5, 2026

Light Sheet-based Fluorescence Microscopy of Living or Fixed and Stained Tribolium castaneum Embryos
Published on: April 28, 2017
Homeotic evidence for the appendicular origin of the labrum in Tribolium castaneum
M S Haas1, S J Brown, R W Beeman
1USDA, ARS, Grain Marketing and Production Research Center, Manhattan, KS 66502, USA.
Abstract:
The ontogeny of the insect labrum, or upper lip, has been debated for nearly a century. Recent molecular data suggest a segmental appendage origin of this structure. Here we report the first arthropod mutation associated with a homeotic transformation of the labrum. Antennagalea-5 (Ag(5)) transforms both antennal and labral structures to resemble those of gnathal appendages in Tribolium castaneum. This labral transformation suggests that the labrum is a fused structure composed of two pairs of appendage endites, and is serially homologous to the gnathal appendages.
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