A specialized midgut region in stingless bees (Hymenoptera:Apidae:Meliponinae)

Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-29T08:42:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 1996-12-01 Ultrastructure of the anterior end of the midgut of three Neotropical stingless bees, including an obligate necrophagous species Trigona hypogea, suggests that this midgut region has no role in nutrient absorption because its lumen is reduced by a thick cuticle that lines the outer epithelium of the cardiac valve. A possible involvement of this midgut region in the production of the peritrophic membrane compounds is discussed. Departamento de Biologia Institute de Biociências Campus de Rio Claro, Cx. Postal 199, CEP 13506-900, Rio Claro, SP