3 - FBS 45 - Internal Anatomy of Insects

Insect Internal Anatomy &
Physiology
Internal Anatomy
✓ Endocrine System
✓ Digestive System
✓ Excretory System
✓ Respiratory System
✓ Circulatory System
✓ Nervous System
✓ Reproductive System
ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
Hormone secreting
structures that help
maintain homeostasis,
coordinate behavior, and
regulate growth,
development, and other
physiological activities.
Hormone - a chemical
substance produced in
small quantities by
endocrine tissues that
cause profound effects to
other organ tissues & body
processes in the organism.
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
Insects have a complete digestive system occurring
in a tube-like enclosure, the alimentary canal,
running lengthwise through the body from the mouth
to anus
Ingested food only travels one way
Insects have salivary glands residing in the thorax
Digestive System
In most insects, the alimentary canal is
subdivided into three functional regions:
➢foregut (stomodeum)
➢midgut (mesenteron)
➢hindgut (proctodeum)
Gut morphology
Alimentary canal
crop
Ileum
Gastric
caeca
Ventriculus Rectum
proventriculus
esophagus
Digestive system of some insect
EXCRETORY SYSTEM
Excretion = the process of eliminating waste products of
metabolism and other non-useful materials to maintain
homeostasis (internal physico-chemical state of balance)
Malpighian tubules = excretory organs in insects with
primary function in removing toxins, nitrogenous wastes,
and ions to maintain ionic concentrations within the
hemolymph
uric acid = main excretory product
Process of Excretion
Body fluids are drawn into
the Malpighian tubules by
osmosis due to large
concentrations of
potassium inside the
tubule
Body fluids pass back into

the body
Water is reabsorbed and

nitrogenous wastes empty
into the insect's gut
In cockroach…..excretory system
The Malpighian tubules is found at the junction of the
midgut and hind gut and are about 150 in number.
They are fine, yellow coloured and branched threads
present in bundles.
They lie freely in the hemolymph.
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Insects are aerobic organism (obtain O2 from their
environment)
Responsible for delivery of sufficient O2 to all cells of the
body and for removing CO2 that is produced as a waste from
the circulatory system
In most insects, the respiratory system is separate from the
circulatory system
Tracheal system - a complex network of tubes that deliver
oxygen-containing air to every cell in the body
Air enters through the spiracles and to the tracheal system
Mechanism of Respiration
Insect obtain oxygen by two principal method:
✓ From air (oxygen is obtain through
spiracle)
✓ From water (oxygen is obtain through

tracheal gills)
Types of Tracheal System
• Open tracheal system – with functional spiracles
• Closed tracheal system/cuticular system – spiracles

absent or non-functional (apneustic), esp. in aquatic
and endoparasitic insects
The Open Tracheal system
A complex network of
tubes (the tracheal
system) that delivers
oxygen-containing air to
every cell of the body.
Functions of Tracheal
System
carry oxygen directly to the cells
diffusion of gases
binding of proteins
Tracheal System in Insects
Tracheal System
Tracheae and Tracheoles
Respiration in bees and wasps
air sac
Respiration in Aquatic Insects
• Mosquito larvae have tubes (siphon)
connected to the air at the water surface.
• Riffle beetles have hydrofuge hairs
(plastron – a physical gill) which are
water resistant associated with the
spiracles, to break the surface tension of
the water and to keep water out when
the insect is underwater.
• Stone fly, dragonfly and mayfly nymphs
have tracheal gills whereby oxygen
diffuses from the water to fine, surface
tracheae.
Respiration in Aquatic Insects
1) Water beetles take air bubbles with them
underwater.
2) Their spiracles open into the bubble as the
oxygen in the bubble is used up
3) The oxygen pressure in the bubble drops to
that of the surrounding water so that more
oxygen diffuses into the bubble from the
water. In this way the bubble remains usable
for a long time.
❑ Bloodworms, (midge larvae) live in the mud

of stagnant pools where there is very little
oxygen. These insect larvae have
hemoglobin in their blood that is more
efficient than that of vertebrates.
CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
Insects, like all athropods, have an open circulatory

system where the hemolymph (blood) spends much
of its time flowing freely within body cavities
(hemocoel) and makes direct contact with all internal
tissues and organs
Dorsal blood vessel is

the major structural
component of an
insect’s circulatory
system
INSECT BLOOD (HEMOLYMPH)
FUNCTIONS OF THE HEMOLYMPH
 Transport medium of nutrients, salts, hormones, and

metabolic wastes throughout the insects’ body .
 Storage reservoir of energy
 Provide immunity against parasites and disease
pathogens
 Thermoregulation (cooling off of the body by conducting
away excess body heat)
 Regulation of homeostasis
Organs of Blood Circulation
Aorta – anterior tube lying in the middle of

dorsum of thorax; facilitates the transport of the
hemolymph (insect blood) to the head.
Heart – slender tube extending from the dorsal

midline of abdomen into the thorax; vessels that
divides into chambers and are placed at the
dorsal part of the abdomen
Ostia – the slit-like openings on the side of the

heart and allow haemolymph to enter the
chambers from the body cavity
Alary muscles – wing-like muscles that support

the pulsation of the heart
Circulatory System in Insects
Circulation of hemolymph in an open circulatory system
Hearts (Ostia)
From Elzinga, Fundamentals of Entomology

aorta Alary muscle
Alary muscle Intersegmental
ostium blood vessel
Dorsal diaphragm
Heart chambers
THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
Insects have a relatively simple nervous system with a
dorsal brain linked to a ventral nerve cord
Nervous system is a network of specialized cells
(neurons) that serve as the “information highway”
within the body
Neurons are divided into three categories, depending
on their function within the nervous system
✓Afferent/sensory neurons – bring stimuli towards
the CNS from the sensory organs
✓Efferent /motor neurons – carries impulses away
from the CNS towards the muscle & glands
✓Internuncial/association neurons - within the CNS
A ganglion is a dense cluster of interconnected
neurons that process sensory information or control
motor outputs.
Overall view of the interrelationships of the
insect nervous system
Central Nervous System (CNS)
a. CNS controls the insect's sensory,
motor and physiological
processes,composed of a double
chain of ganglia joined by longitudinal
connectives.
b. The anterior ganglion is the brain
connected to the ventral chain of
ganglia via two connectives that
travel around the pharynx. The brain
connects to the eyes, ocelli, and
antennae.
c. The subesophageal ganglion
innervates the sense organs and
muscles associated with the
mouthparts, the salivary glands, and
the neck region.
d. The frontal ganglion connects the
brain to the stomatogastric
subsystem.
e. The hypocerebral ganglion is
associated with two endocrine glands
one of which is the corpus allatum
that produces JH (juvenile hormone).
Central Nervous System
f. The thoracic ganglia contain the sensory and motor
centers for their respective segments. In some insects
these three ganglia are fused into one.
g. In the ancestral state, each abdominal segment
possesses a ganglion with the final ganglion associated
with the genitalia (caudal ganglion). More derived taxa
show a reduction in the number of abdominal ganglia.
Central Nervous System
Visceral Nervous System
a. Nerves associated with the brain, salivary glands,

and the foregut are the stomatogastric visceral
subsystem. These include the frontal ganglion and
the hypocerebral ganglion.
b. The nerves associated with the ventral nerve cord

are the ventral visceral subsystem.
c. The caudal visceral subsystem is associated with the

posterior segments of the abdomen (the caudal
region) including the reproductive system.
Peripheral Nervous System
a. All of the nerves with synapses to the central and

the visceral nervous systems comprise the
peripheral nervous system.
b. These nerves are associated with sensory

structures.
Alary muscle
Intersegmental
blood vessel
Abdominal
ganglion
REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
•Reproductive organs of insects are similar in structure

and function to those of vertebrates
A male’s testes produce sperm; a female’s ovaries

produce eggs (ova)
•Most insects reproduce sexually, by the joining of

male and female gametes or sex cells
•In many insects, all or most of the eggs mature before

any are laid and the egg swollen ovaries may occupy a
large part of the body cavity and may even distend to
the abdomen
38
Reproductive Organs
Male Female
Male Reproductive Organ
mushroom gland
Female Reproductive Organ
REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
In some species males are absent or rare.
Reproduction is through:
- Parthenogenesis = reproduction without

fertilization, common in aphids
- Paedogenesis = reproduction by
immatures, in midge fly (Miastor sp.)
- Polyembryony = reproduction of several

embryos from a single egg , common in parasitic
wasps
Fat body Fat body, a diffuse
organ with multiple
functions:
1) Carbohydrate & lipid

metabolism
2) Storage of
glycogen, fat, &
protein
3) Synthesis of blood
proteins
4) Regulation of blood
sugars
- just like liver in humans
Dorsoventral Muscle
Basic motion of the insect wing

in insect with in different
flight mechanism
Scheme of dorsoventral cut

through a thorax segment
with wings.
• a wings
• b joints
• c dorsoventral muscles
• d longitudinal muscles
QUESTIONS?!!

3 - FBS 45 - Internal Anatomy of Insects

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

3 - FBS 45 - Internal Anatomy of Insects

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Insect Internal Anatomy &

Body fluids pass back into

Water is reabsorbed and

✓ From water (oxygen is obtain through

• Closed tracheal system/cuticular system – spiracles

❑ Bloodworms, (midge larvae) live in the mud

Insects, like all athropods, have an open circulatory

Dorsal blood vessel is

FUNCTIONS OF THE HEMOLYMPH

 Transport medium of nutrients, salts, hormones, and

Aorta – anterior tube lying in the middle of

Heart – slender tube extending from the dorsal

Ostia – the slit-like openings on the side of the

Alary muscles – wing-like muscles that support

From Elzinga, Fundamentals of Entomology

a. Nerves associated with the brain, salivary glands,

b. The nerves associated with the ventral nerve cord

c. The caudal visceral subsystem is associated with the

a. All of the nerves with synapses to the central and

b. These nerves are associated with sensory

•Reproductive organs of insects are similar in structure

A male’s testes produce sperm; a female’s ovaries

•Most insects reproduce sexually, by the joining of

•In many insects, all or most of the eggs mature before

- Parthenogenesis = reproduction without

- Polyembryony = reproduction of several

1) Carbohydrate & lipid

Basic motion of the insect wing

Scheme of dorsoventral cut

You might also like