Locust Testis Cross Section Under the Microscope
Locust Testis (Transverse Section), Locusta migratoria
This is a cross section of a locust testis stained with hematoxylin. Grasshopper and locust testes are classic slides for meiosis because they contain many cells at different stages of making sperm.
This is a transverse section of a locust testis (Locusta migratoria), stained with hematoxylin. The testis is made of many long tubes called follicles, and this cut shows them as rows of oval shapes. Inside, sperm develop in small groups called cysts. Most of the tissue here is pale, but the dark blue stain picks out the nuclei, and bundles of thin sperm heads lie near the edges of many cysts. Insect testes are often used to teach how sex cells form.
What to look for
- Testis follicles: Round or oval tubes, cut across, that make up the testis.
- Cysts: Groups of germ cells inside the follicles, all at about the same stage.
- Dividing cells: Cells with dark, condensed chromosomes, some caught in meiosis.
- Spermatids: Small cells with compact nuclei, formed after meiosis.
- Sperm bundles: Groups of long, thin, dark-stained sperm.
Questions and answers
Why is locust or grasshopper testis used to show meiosis?
The testes are full of cells making sperm, and each cyst holds many cells at the same stage. Their chromosomes are large and easy to stain, so different stages of meiosis can be seen on one slide.
What is the difference between mitosis and meiosis on a slide?
Mitosis makes two identical cells and is seen in growing tissue like onion root tips. Meiosis makes sex cells with half the chromosomes and is seen in testes and anthers, where you may spot paired chromosomes and groups of four cells.
- Category
- Invertebrates
- Scan magnification
- 20x
- Stain
- Hematoxylin
Viewing this slide in class
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