title: Ultrastructure of the midgut in Heteroptera (Hemiptera) with different feeding habits.
abstract: Heteroptera have diverse feeding habits with phytophagous, zoophagous, and haematophagous species. This dietary diversity associated with the monophyly of Heteroptera makes these insects a good object for comparative studies of the digestive tract. This work compares the ultrastructure of the middle midgut region in the phytophagous Coptosoma scutellatum (Plataspidae), Graphosoma lineatum (Pentatomidae), Kleidocerys resedae (Lygaeidae), and zoophagous Rhynocoris iracundus (Reduviidae), Nabis rugosus (Nabidae), and Himacerus apterus (Nabidae), to verify if diet affects midgut cells in phylogenetically related insects. The middle region of the midgut was used for comparison because it is the main site for digestion and absorption of the midgut. The digestive cell ultrastructure was similar in the six species, with features of secretory, absorptive, transport, storage, and excretory cells, suggesting a stronger correlation of middle digestive cell ultrastructure with the phylogeny of these species than with the different heteropteran feeding habits.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa-UFV, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Helen Pinto
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Histology and Embryology, University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rost-Roszkowska
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology, Charles University, Vinicna 7, 128 44, Prague 2, Czechia.
authors.forename: Jitka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vilimova
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa-UFV, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. jeserrao@ufv.br.
authors.forename: José Eduardo
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Serrão
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D060435:Carnivory; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D060434:Herbivory; D020062:Heteroptera / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D012038:Regeneration
keywords: Basal labyrinth; Comparative morphology; Digestive cells; Phytophagy; Regenerative cells; Spherocrystals; Zoophagy