The sperm structure of the gall-midges Anaretella and Lestremia (Insecta, Diptera, Cecidomyiidae)

The sperm structure of some dipteran flies belonging to the Lestremiini tribe have been examined. Anaretella cincta was shown to have an axoneme made of 20-21 microtubular doublets, disposed in a circle in a cross section and surrounding a mitochondrion. Other crystal-containing mitochondria flank the axoneme; a second species (Anaretella sp.) was provided with 21-22 axonemal doublets. Lestremia is characterized by a flattened axoneme, consisting of about 150 doublets arranged in 2 antiparallel rows and surrounding a few mitochondria. These mitochondria, in Lestremia sp., have a crystalline core that is missing in Lestremia cinerea. The structure of microtubular doublets is quite similar in the 2 related genera and a derivation of the flattened axoneme found in Lestremia from that circular of Anaretella is suggested. Sperm structure suggests that Lestremia cinerea is not a uniform species.