• Applied Microscopy
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.17-31
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• 1996

The venomous apparatus of the black widow spider, Latrodectus mactans, is composed of chelicera and paired venom glands in the cephalothorax. Each glands is surrounded by a thin adventitia and striated muscular bundles resting on a basal membrane. Along the musculature neuromuscular synaptic contacts are formed by a motor axon and the muscle fibers. The secretory epithelium, which made up of simple and long columnar cells with extensive finger-like processes, creates a simple acinar gland. The secretory surfac is increased by a sort of fringes extended from the basal membrane into the gland lumen, and the luminal surface of the epithelium is marked by the presence of closely spaced microvilli. The venoms of the black widow spider are produced from two types of secretory granules within the epithelial cells. During the secretory phase, these granules are transformed into droplets and suffering a condensation. Finally the secretory products are released by the apocrine secretion. After the gland is emptied, the basal epithelial cells present a high proliferative process and regenerate the columnar epithlial cells.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Entomolohy Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.103-103
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• 2002

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Entomolohy Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.106-106
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• 2002

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.223-230
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• 1996

Fine structure of the neuromuscular junction in the venomous organ of the spider, Agelena li'mbutq, was studied using high magnification electron microscope. The motor nerve endings at neuromuscular contact area composed of neurons and neuroslial cells were located between musculature and extracellular sheath of the venom gBand. At the synaptic contact between a motor axon and a muscle fiber in the musculature, spherical synaptic vesicles were prominent in the nerve terminal. The sarcoplasm beneath the neuromuscular synapse has a granular appearance and lacks mvofilaments. And the main axon gives off a branch between the muscle fibers. The synaptic regions of this organ are located close to the myofilaments unlike to other chelicerate classes. Moreover the postsvnaptic complex of vesicles and membrane invasinations present in other synaptic legions are absent from these legions in this venomous organ.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Entomolohy Conference
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.105-105
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• 2001

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.128-142
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• 1992

Ultrastructure of the poison secreting organ in the spiders, Agelena limbata Thorell and Nephila clavata L. Koch were studied using scanning and transmission electron microscopes. The venom glands located its secretory sac portion in cephalothorax and excretory duct in the fang of chelicera are one pair of simple alveolar glands composed of three kinds of basic tissues-outer spiral musculature, middle myoepithelium and inner glandular epithelium. The muscle cells of the venom gland junctioned with the motor nerve endings at neuromuscular contact area are composed of smooth muscle fibers, whereas the myoepithelial cells between the musculature and inner glandular epithelium have compact collagenous fibers within the cytoplasm. The glandular epithelial cells which arranged along the concentrical location are subdivided into basal light cells and apical dark cells according to electron densities of their cytoplasms.