title: Scanning electron microscopy of the dorsal vessel of Panstrongylus megistus (Burmeister, 1835) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae).
abstract: In this study we analyzed the microanatomy of the dorsal vessel of the triatomine Panstrongylus megistus. The organ is a tubule anatomically divided into an anterior aorta and 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. Inside the vessel the pericardial cells were disposed in layers and on the outside they formed clusters or rows.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Parasitologia e Biofísica Celular, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Cidade Universitária, Brasil.
authors.forename: N F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Nogueira
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: de Souza
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D010203:Panstrongylus / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000648:ultrastructure