Structure and function of rectal pads in Blattella and Blaberus with respect to the mechanism of water uptake

Abstract

The morphology of the rectal pads of two cockroaches, Blattella germanica and Blaberus giganteus is described and contrasted with that of Periplaneta americana, studied previously. The columnar absorptive cells of the three species are similar in structure. However, Blattella and Blaberus rectal pads have a second type of cell, termed the secondary cell, that is not present in Periplaneta. The secondary cells are embedded in the pad epithelium and have crypts of cavities opening into the subepithelial sinus. In addition, a multilayered sheath is present between the pad cells and the sinus. The sheath acts as a barrier, perhaps of low permeability, between the subepithelial sinus and the pads. It is interrupted only at the borders of the secondary cells. A mechanism for fluid absorption is presented and the possible role of secondary cells is discussed. It is proposed that the secondary cells reabsorb solute from the sinus and that this solute can then be recycled through the pad cells. Structures resembling neurosecretory terminals within the cavities of the secondary cells may be involved in regulation of recycling. The arrangement of the rectal pads in these insects has structural and perhaps functional similarities with other transporting systems, particularly the cryptonephric system.