Histomorphological and histochemical structure of the midgut and hindgut of the Caucasian honey bee (Apismelliferacaucasia)

Ahmet Ceylan,Özge Özgenç,Sedat Sevi̇n

doi:10.3906/vet-1906-55

Abstract

The Caucasian honey bee (Apis mellifera caucasia subspecies of Apis mellifera L.) is one of the most common and prominent honey bee breeds in Turkey. The morphometry of endemic honey bee breeds has been extensively studied, but little attention has been given to the microscopic morphology of these bees. The aim of the current study was to describe for the first time the histomorphology of the midgut and hindgut of the Caucasian honey bee in Turkey. A total of 20 local Caucasian adult honey bee workers were sampled for histomorphological and histochemical analysis. The midgut epithelium consisted of epithelial cells with different morphologies. Acidic, neutral, and mixed mucosubstances were found in the luminal surfaces of the cells and peritrophic membranes. The ileum mostly consisted of an epithelium containing columnar cells that usually had basal nuclei. The rectum of adult workers had a single-layered epithelium externally, involving a layer of inner circular and outer longitudinal muscles. There were 6 long hollow rectal pads in the median-anterior area of the rectum. These results contribute in detail to our understanding of the histomorphology of the Caucasian (A. m. caucasia) honey bee.

Highlights

In addition to being the primary insect species in terms of pollination of plants within the agricultural ecosystem, the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) adds billions of dollars to the economy of livestock breeding [1,2,3,4,5]
One of the most striking results of midgut epithelium examination was that the cell nucleus size, shape, and location differed throughout the epithelium
These studies are potentially influential in determining the morphological characteristics of domestic honey bees, there is little information about the histomorphology of the gut

Summary

Introduction

In addition to being the primary insect species in terms of pollination of plants within the agricultural ecosystem, the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) adds billions of dollars to the economy of livestock breeding [1,2,3,4,5]. The digestive system of insects comprises 3 parts: the foregut, midgut, and hindgut. The foregut consists of the pharynx and the esophagus, the midgut consists of the ventriculus/real stomach, and the hindgut consists of the ileum and the rectum [9]. The ventriculus is recognized as the primary organ of pollen digestion and absorption, while the ileum and rectum are considered to be mostly responsible for osmotic control via the absorption of water and ions [10,11]

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