Fig. 3

Seminal receptacle of Neohelice granulata females. a General view of the dorsal chamber (dc) with a secretory epithelium and the ventral chamber (vc) with a simple epithelium. b Receptive female, the multi-layered secretory epithelium (ep) of the dorsal chamber and its secretions (s), surrounded by a connective tissue layer (ct). c Non-receptive females, the multi-layered secretory epithelium (ep) of the dorsal chamber and its secretions forming vesicles (v), surrounded by a connective tissue layer (ct). Note the spermatozoids (spz) surrounded by the secretions. d Ventral chamber of the seminal receptacle of an immature female. Detailed view of the folded ventral epithelium (ep) of columnar cells surrounded by connective (ct) and muscle (mu) tissue layers enclosing the seminal receptacle secretions (s). e Detailed view of the simple folded epithelium of the ventral chamber internally lined with cuticle (arrow). f Ventral chamber of the seminal receptacle of an immature female. The ovary (ov) connects to the oviduct (od) which ends in a mass of densely packed cells forming a special tissue (st). The ventral chamber has an epithelium (ep) of columnar cells and it is full of seminal receptacle secretions (s). g Mature female that has recently became unreceptive without egg laying. Densely packed cells forming a special tissue (st) are observed at the junction of the oviduct (od) and the ventral chamber (vc). h Detailed view of the densely packed cells of the special tissue (st) at the junction of the oviduct (od) and the ventral chamber. Note the columnar epithelium (ep) of the ventral chamber and the oviduct epithelium of flattened cells (arrows)