Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (Mar 1991)

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

  • Nadir Francisca Sant'Anna Nogueira,
  • Wanderley de Souza

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0074-02761991000100004
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 86, no. 1
pp. 19 – 24

Abstract

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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.

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