The cellular structure of the female reproductive system of Meloidogyne spp. compared with other nematode species

Gonads from living young females, belonging to 15 Meloidogyne species and 80 other species, were extruded to study the cellular structure of the female genital structure. Within the genus Meloidogyne, the spermatheca is always spherical and formed by a variable number of thick, lobe-like cells, which makes it different from any other known nematode genus. Members of this genus are strongly unified by this characteristic anatomical feature. Nevertheless a remarkable intrageneric variability is demonstrated; most species have 16 to 18 spermatheca cells with interlaced cell boundaries while M. microtyla and M. ichinohei have more spermatheca cells with atypical cell boundaries and the spermatheca cells of the M. fallax specimens are clustered together forming lobes. While most species were studied with light microscopy, the gonads of M. incognita were studied thoroughly using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. This allowed us to exactly determine the structural separate gonoduct components and have a better insight in their action and function