Scanning electron microscopy of the dorsal vessel of Panstrongylus megistus (Burmeister, 1835) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)

• Main Authors: Nadir Francisca Sant'Anna Nogueira, Wanderley de Souza
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde 1991-03-01
• Series: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz.
• Subjects: dorsal vessel; scanning electron microscopy; Panstrongylus megistus; Hemiptera; Reduviidae
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0074-02761991000100004

In this study we analyzed the microanatomy of the dorsal vessel of the triatomine Panstrongylus megistus. The organ is a tuble anatomically divided into an anterior aorta anad a posterior heart, connected to the body wall through 8 pairs of alary muscles. The heart is divided in 3 chambers by means of 2 pairs of cardiac valves. a pair of ostia can be observed in the lateral wall of each chamber. A bundle of nerve fibers was found outside the organ, running dorsally along its major axis. A group of longitudinal muscular fibers was found in the ventral portion of the vessel. The vessel was found to be lined both internally and externally by pericardial cells covered by a thin laminar membrane. Inseide the vessel the pericardial cells were disposed in layers and on the outside they formed clusters or rows.