K. Yamazaki et al., Egg maturation and parthenogenetic recovery of diploidy in the scorpion Liocheles australasiae (Fabricius) (Scorpions, Ischnuridae), J MORPH, 247(1), 2001, pp. 39-50
In the scorpion Liocheles australasiae, egg maturation and parthenogenetic
recoveries of chromosome number and nuclear DNA content were examined by hi
stological, karyological observations and quantitative measurements of DNA.
The primary oocyte becomes mature through two successive maturation divisi
ons. The first maturation division takes place in the primary oocyte to pro
duce a secondary oocyte and a first polar body. The second maturation divis
ion soon occurs in the secondary oocyte, in which the nucleus is divided in
to a mature egg nucleus and a second polar body nucleus, not followed by cy
toplasmic fission. The first polar body, in one case, was successively divi
ded into two second polar bodies; in the other case it was not divided. In
either case, these polar bodies remained attached to the early embryo. The
fate of these polar bodies during further embryogenesis were studied. In th
e karyological analysis, the chromosome number was divided into two groups,
one from 27-32, the other was 54-64. The former was presumably the metapha
se chromosome number at the meiotic division; the latter was presumably the
metaphase chromosome number at the mitotic division. DNA content in the di
ploid nucleus of the primary oocyte, doubled before the maturation division
s, was reduced through the maturation divisions by one-half in the nuclei o
f the secondary oocyte and the first polar body and by one-fourth in the nu
clei of the egg and the second polar bodies. The first reduction of DNA con
tent corresponded to halving the number of the chromosomes in the first mat
uration division and the second to the nuclear division in the secondary oo
cyte. These reductions represent a common process of egg maturation, except
the final production of the mature egg with two haploid nuclei, an egg nuc
leus, and a second polar body nucleus. These two nuclei, which were formed
apart in the mature egg, drew near to fuse into a zygote nucleus. The chrom
osome number and nuclear DNA content were doubled in the zygote and each bl
astomere in embryos, supporting the hypothesis that the egg nucleus fuses w
ith the second polar body nucleus and this conjugation initiates subsequent
embryonic development. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.