Digestive System Morphology Of Nasutitermes Rotundatus (isoptera: Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae)

The digestive system of Nasutitermes rotundatus (Termitidae) workers is comprised of foregut, midgut, the mixed segment, and the hindgut. The walls of the oesophagus and crop are composed by the simple cubic epithelium. The wall of the gizzard presents three sets of highly developed longitudinal folds. The oesophageal valve is folded and pervades the midgut. At the midgut, there were identified digestive cells, which presented visible striated borders, and the undifFerentiated regenerative cells. At the transition from the midgut to the hindgut, there is a mixed segment, which presents three types of epithelia. The first proctodeal segment presents a short cuboidal epithelium without striated borders. The enteric valve connects the first segment of proctodeum to the paunch, which is the most dilated segment of the digestive tract. At the distal region, the paunch becomes narrow and originates the colon. This segment presents the smallest diameter among all others in the digestive tract. At the rectum, the internal circular as well as the external longitudinal muscular bundles are thick. The epithelium between the rectum papillae is simple squamous with metachromatic intima. 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