Variations in the ultrastructure of the flight muscles of the polymorphic cricket, Gryllus firmus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae)

Variations in the ultrastructure of the flight muscles of the polymorphic cricket, Gryllus firmus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae)

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Although there is a considerable amount of information on the ecology, genetics and physiology of life-history traits there is little information on the morphological variations associated with flight ability within species.In Slide-In Range this paper, the morphology and ultrastructure of certain organelles in the flight muscles of Gryllus firmus are recorded using transmission electron microscopy.The ultrastructure of the flight muscles of 7-day-old female adults reveals that the ratio of thick to thin filaments is 1 : 3.Each thick filament is surrounded by 6 thin filaments in a hexagonal arrangement.

The length of the sarcomere of each myofibril is Sippy Cups significantly shorter and diameter of the myofibrils significantly smaller in long-winged than in short-winged morphs.However, the thick filaments in the long-winged morph are denser than those in the short-winged morph.Furthermore, in the long winged morph there are a greater number of mitochondria than in the short-winged morph.These differences correspond with the fact that long-winged crickets are stronger fliers than short-winged crickets.