The midgut of the parasitoid campoletis flavicincta (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)

Abstract

The midgut epithelium of insects is composed mainly of digestive cells, responsible for the digestion and absorption of food, and regenerative cells, which play a role in cell renewal. The morphological and histochemical analyses of the midgut of Campoletis flavicincta (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) showed that it is similar to those of other Hymenoptera. Morphometric analyses revealed differences in cell height, length of the striated border, and nuclear area of the digestive cells along the midgut. The nuclear area of regenerative cells was similar between the anterior and posterior midgut regions. These results demonstrate that the anterior and posterior midgut regions are morphologically distinct from each other.