Octopamine in a Neurohaemal Area Within the Antennal Heart of the American Cockroach

Abstract

A great deal of research suggests that octopamine functions as a neuromodulator, neurotransmitter and neurohormone in insects (Orchard, 1982; Evans, 1985; Hoyle, 1985). Especially high concentrations of this biogenic amine have been reported for neurohaemal tissue such as the corpora cardiaca and the neurohaemal organs of the medial nervous system (Evans, 1985). In the presented paper, octopamine is shown to occur in another neurohaemal area located within the antennal heart of the cockroach, Periplaneta americana.