Drosophila harbours a simple tubular heart that ensures haemolymph circulation within the body. The heart is built by a few different cell types, including cardiomyocytes that define the luminal heart channel and ostia cells that constitute openings in the heart wall allowing haemolymph to enter the heart chamber. Regulation of flow directionality within a tube, such as blood flow in arteries o...

The haemolymph of the crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes exhibits a high affinity for oxygen (P50 = 2-7 Torr at pH7-9 and 15°C) and a modest Bohr effect (<p = —0-455). The affinity of haemolymph dialysed against a crayfish Ringer was lower with a P50 value of 6 4 Torr at the same temperature and pH. The oxygen affinity of the dialysed haemolymph can be increased markedly by increased concentrat...

Summary Control of white grubs, the sporadic root-feeding larvae scarabid beetles, is difficult due to their cryptic nature and resistance chemical insecticides. Potential exists for use entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) such control. The successful infection grubs by EPN, however, limited grubs’ innate reduced susceptibility in form behavioural, morphological physiological defences. This study ...

Adipokinetic Hormone, Flight Metabolism, Hippoteon eson, Imbrasia cytherea, Bombyx mori Methanolic extracts from corpora cardiaca of three moth species, Hippoteon eson (Sphingi­ dae), Imbrasia cytherea (Saturniidae) and Bombyx mori (Bombycidae) show adipokinetic activity in conspecific bioassays. Haemolymph carbohydrates in these moths are not affected. These extracts are also active in heterol...

In the present study, we show the isolation and characterization of the protein haemoporin, which constitutes the second most abundant protein fraction in the haemolymph of the marine gastropod Aplysia californica. Although Aplysia is commonly used to investigate the molecular basis of learning, not much is known about the proteins in its haemolymph, which is in contact with the neurons owing t...

The effects of temperature (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 &deg;C) and of anoxia (at 5 &deg;C) on extracellular Mg2+ concentration ([Mg2+]e), intracellular pH (pHi) and ATP and lactate levels were investigated in intermoult adults of the common shrimp Crangon crangon. All animals caught in summer (summer animals) showed a slight but significant increase in [Mg2+]e at low temperatures. In contrast, at ever...

Crustaceans affected by shell disease syndrome display characteristic black-spot lesions in regions of exoskeletal degradation. Vogan et al. [Dis. Aquat. Org. (2001)] have shown that the severity of shell disease in the edible crab, Cancer pagurus, correlates with an increase in haemocoelic bacterial infections and may therefore serve as an external marker for the internal health of the animal....

Host innate immunity is one of the factors that determines the resistance of insects to their entomopathogens. In the research reported here we studied whether or not phenoloxidase (PO), a key enzyme in the melanogenesis component of humoral immunity of insects, plays a role in the protection of Lymantria dispar larvae from infection by L. dispar multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus. We studied two ty...

The inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity has been used widely as a biomarker of exposure to organophosphorous pesticides (OPs). However, scientific uncertainty about the risk assessment implications of data describing inhibition of cholinesterases in diverse species and tissues has hampered the use of AChE activity as a biomarker of adverse effect. Here, haemolymph AChE activity w...

The combined effect of the trematode infection (Echinoparyphium sp.) and various concentrations of chromium sulphate (0.01, 1, 100 mg/l) onto the crude protein content in the haemolymph of the mollusc Viviparus viviparus was investigated. The normal contents of the crude protein is 0.7-1.22%. In adult specimens its concentration is 20-80% higher than in molluscs of junior age group. Sex differe...