Affiliation:
1. Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences
Abstract
A comparative study of the morphology of descending neurons connecting the supraesophageal ganglion and thoracic ganglia in cockroaches of the family Blaberidae, which differ in protective behavior and flight ability, was carried out. The neuronal structure of these families was compared with the descending neurons of the cockroach Periplaneta americana. The number, spatial distribution, and arrangement of axons and dendrites of descending neurons of cockroach Leucophaea maderae, Gromphadorhina portentosa, Blaberus craniifer, Nauphoeta cinerea (Blaberidae) were found to be similar. Neurons homologous to the ocellar, mechanosensory, and visual descending neurons described in the cockroach Periplaneta americana were found. It is suggested that during the evolution of the cockroach species, the adaptive behavior at danger was changed by transforming sensory inputs and motor responses, while the system of descending neurons remains stable.
Publisher
The Russian Academy of Sciences