Premium
Ultrastructure of the digestive tract in Acarus siro (Acari: Acaridida)
Author(s) -
Šobotník Jan,
Alberti Gerd,
Weyda František,
Hubert Jan
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of morphology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.652
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1097-4687
pISSN - 0362-2525
DOI - 10.1002/jmor.10573
Subject(s) - hindgut , biology , midgut , ultrastructure , foregut , columnar cell , anatomy , epithelium , segmented filamentous bacteria , cell type , microbiology and biotechnology , cell , botany , sewage treatment , genetics , activated sludge , larva , engineering , waste management
The gut of the mite Acarus siro is characterized on the ultrastructural level. It consists of the foregut (pharynx, esophagus), midgut (ventriculus, caeca, colon, intercolon, postcolonic diverticula, postcolon), and hindgut (anal atrium). The gut wall is formed by a single‐layered epithelium; only regenerative cells are located basally and these have no contact with the lumen. Eight cell types form the whole gut: (i) simple epithelial cells forming fore‐ and hindgut; (ii) cells that probably produce the peritrophic membrane; (iii) regenerative cells occurring in the ventriculus, caeca, colon, and intercolon; (iv) spherite cells and (v) digestive cells forming the ventriculus and caeca; (vi) colonic cells and (vii) intercolonic cells; and (viii) cells forming the walls of postcolonic diverticula and postcolon. Spherite and digestive cells change in structure during secretory cycles, which are described and discussed. The cycle of spherite, colonic, and intercolonic cells is terminated by apoptosis. Ingested food is packed into a food bolus surrounded by a single homogeneous peritrophic membrane formed by addition of lamellae that subsequently fuse together. The postcolonic diverticula serve as a shelter for filamentous bacteria, which also are abundant in the intercolon. J. Morphol., 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.