Fig. 3

Scanning electron micrographs of the postaxillary glands in male N. pleuraden. a Transverse section of the postaxillary gland. b Higher magnification image of specific regions in (a), showing an OSG and a SMG. c Mucocytes surround an obvious lumen in SMGs. d Longitudinal section of the postaxillary gland. e Longitudinal section of a SMG, its lumen is surrounded by numerous mucocytes and the mucocytes are all encircled by the myoepithelial sheath. f A complex, irregular connective structure locates at the interstice between myoepithelial sheaths. g Normal texture of the skin surface of the postaxillary gland. h A close-up of the glandular outlet, note the intraductal microvilli. ep, epidermis; do, duct opening; SMG, specialized mucous gland; OMG, ordinary mucous gland; OSG, ordinary serous gland; sg, secretory granule; ss, stratum spongiosum; sc, stratum compactum; muc, mucocyte; mec, myoepithelial cell; L, lumen; mv, microvilli; in, interstice. Bars = 500 μm (a, d), 50 μm (b, e, f), 10 μm (c) and 5 μm (g, h)