Morphology and composition of the midgut bacterial community of Scaptocoris castanea Perty, 1830 (Hemiptera: Cydnidae)

• Published in: Cell and tissue research Vol. 382; no. 2; pp. 337 - 349
• Main Authors: Cossolin, Jamile Fernanda Silva, Lopes, Déborah Romaskevis Gomes, Martínez, Luis Carlos, Santos, Helen Cristina Pinto, Fiaz, Muhammad, Pereira, Mônica Josene Barbosa, Vivan, Lucia Madalena, Mantovani, Hilário Cuquetto, Serrão, José Eduardo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-11-2020; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Bacteria; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Epithelium; Females; Hemocoel; Homeostasis; Human Genetics; Midgut; Molecular Medicine; Nutrients; Pasture; Physiological aspects; Proteomics; Regular Article; Scaptocoris; Sexual dimorphism; Soybean; Symbionts; Ultrastructure; Ventricle; Symbionts; Microbiota; Burrower bug; Ventricles
• ISSN: 0302-766X; 1432-0878
• DOI: 10.1007/s00441-020-03197-7

The burrower bug
Scaptocoris castanea
is an important soybean and pasture pest in Brazil, with an underground habit feeding directly on the sap of the roots. Underground habit hinders control and knowledge of the biology and physiology of this pest. This study describes the anatomy, histology, ultrastructure and symbionts of the midgut of
S. castanea
. The midgut of
S. castanea
is anatomically divided into five regions (ventricles). Ventricles 1–3 are similar between males and females, with cells specialized in digestion and absorption of nutrients, water transport and homeostasis. Ventricle 4 has squamous epithelium forming crypts and harboring bacteria in the lumen. Ventricle 5 of males is small with cells containing apical microvilli and broad basal folds with many openings for hemocoel, while in females, this region of the midgut is well developed and colonized by intracellular bacteria, characterizing bacteriocytes. The main bacteria are Gammaproteobacteria. The results show sexual dimorphism in ventricle 5 of the midgut of
S. castanea
, with formation of bacteriocytes in the females, while the other regions are involved in digestive processes in both sexes.