Single-pore sensilla of damselfly-larvae: representatives of phylogenetically old contact chemoreceptors?

The four single-pore sensilla on the maxillary palp of Agrion and Ischnura possess two bipolar sensory cells for A-sensilla and five for B-sensilla. Distally, their dendrites are enclosed by a dendritic sheath and a pore tube. The dendritic tips have access to the outside via the opening of the pore tube. The inner dendritic segments join the receptor cell bodies laterally. The receptor cells of each sensillum are enveloped by three sheath cells and three receptor lymph cavities. Receptor lymph cavity 1 and 3 are connected with the outside by the pore tube and a minute canal system in the cuticle, respectively. All three sheath cells show microvilluslike processes of the apical membrane. Moreover, all sheath cells contain two centrioles in tandem arrangement. The structure of the single-pore sensilla is compared with that of similar sensilla of other arthropods. Functional and phylogenetic aspects are discussed.