Reproduction

The reproduction system of the suborder Caelifera, which the Metaleptea brevicornis is a part of, contains gonads and accessory glands. Males have testis where they hold spermatocytes as they mature and form packets of elongated spermatozoa. These spermatozoa are gathered in the vesicula seminalis, similar in function to a vas deferens in humans. Females have oviducts that carry a ripe egg. During reproduction, males insert sperm into the vagina through its reproductive organ, aedeagus. The spermatophore, a package containing the sperm, goes into the females ovipositor. The sperm enter into the egg through very tiny canals called micropyles. The eggs become fertilized and the female lays an egg pod using her ovipositor and abdomen (New World Encyclopedia 2008).
Egg Pod PlugAn egg pod has several dozens of tightly-packed eggs that resemble rice grains. The eggs are positioned about one to two inches underground and can also be laid in plant roots, manure or underwater. The picture to the left shows the eggs underground and a seal called a froth which protects the eggs from desiccation, diseases, and predation(New World Encyclopedia 2008).

The eggs remain there throughout the winter and hatch when the weather is warmer. Grasshoppers who live in the temperate zone spend nine months in the egg and live three months as a young and adult grasshopper. These grasshoppers develop by incomplete metamorphosis which means they grow in stages while gradually getting bigger in body and wing size(New World Encyclopedia 2008).

 

 

 

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