THE CONGLOBATE GLAND OF BLATTELLA-GERMANICA (L) (DICTYOPTERA, BLATTELLIDAE) - MATURATION, JUVENILE-HORMONE DEPENDENCY AND CHANGES DURING SPERMATOPHORE FORMATION

The conglobate gland of male cockroaches is a reproductive organ anato mically close to the accessory glands. From a functional point of view it has been postulated that the conglobate gland is involved in the f ormation of the spermatophore, although no clear demonstration of this role has been published so far. In addition, previous endocrinologica l studies have suggested that juvenile hormone might influence conglob ate gland maturation. In the present work, taking the conglobate gland of the cockroach Blattella germanica as a model, we have studied the protein pattern during maturation, the effects of allatectomy, and the depletion of gland proteins during the formation of the spermatophore . Taken together, the results suggest that juvenile hormone stimulates the accumulation of proteins in the conglobate gland and that these p roteins contribute to the formation of the spermatophore.