Struktur Dan Anatomi Saluran Pencernaan Rayap Kasta Prajurit Neotermes Bosei

Abstract

Termites are social insects, that consist of reproductives (drone and queen) and nonreproductives (soldiers and workers) caste. Reproductives, soldiers, and nymphs obtain their food from the workers through trophallaxis in term of stomodeal and proctodeal food. Those kind of food had been digested by the workers. Hence, one can assume that there are differences on termite alimentary canal for each caste. The aim of this study is to examine the soldier’s alimentary canal of Neotermes bosei. Observations and measurements were carried out for the alimentary canal. Those are histology of the gut, the length, perimeter, and area of each canal region. The total length of the alimentary canal from crop to anus is 13.01±1.19 mm, which is divided into 13, 29, and 58% for foregut, midgut, and hindgut, respectively. Every region of the alimentary canal has different characteristics. Epithelium of the alimentary canal are varies from columnar to transtitional. Ventriculus has regenarative crypts. Oesophagus, crop, proventriculus, and rectum have thick muscular tissue. Proventriculus has thick intima. There is no gastric caeca at the midgut. Area with the largest outer perimeter value is the paunch. There are variations in outer and inner perimeter of the alimentary canal. There are several differences between soldiers and workers alimentary canal, such as muscular tissue thicknest, cells structure and their parameters.