Ovariole development in telotrophic ovaries of snake flies (Raphidioptera)
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Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Dissection and Grading of Ovarian Development in Wild-Type Female Insects
Published on: July 14, 2023
Izabela Jedrzejowska1, Janusz Kubrakiewicz
1Zoological Institute, University of Wrocław, Sienkiewicza 21, 50-335 Wrocław, Poland.
Abstract:
Snake flies (Raphidioptera), alder flies (Megaloptera: Sialidae) and also some myxophagan coleopterans share the same, peculiar telotrophic organization of their ovarioles usually referred to as ovarioles of the Sialis-type. Ovariole ontogenesis in Raphidia sp. is described and the basic events that lead to the formation of germ cell clusters and their subsequent transformations are reported. It was found that the major cellular events during ovariole formation in Raphidia and Sialis are essentially the same. Discrepancies concern details of germ cell cluster formation, differentiation of cystocytes within clusters and their location within the developing tropharium. Based on these results the hypothetical model of the Sialis-type ovariole formation, previously presented by King and Büoning (1985) is verified. A hypothesis on the mechanisms of oocyte determination in telotrophic ovaries is also presented.
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