Ultrastructure of the aortic diverticula of the adult dragonfly Sympetrum danae (Odonata: Anisoptera)

The aorta of Sympetrum danae possesses two dorsal diverticula: one in the mesothorax and one in the metathorax. They are very similar in form and position. Each diverticulum has a dorsal valve through which blood is pumped from the wings down into the aorta. The wall of the aortic diverticula consists of two simple cell layers: an outer epidermis-like layer and an inner muscle layer. The nuclei of the muscle cells are situated close to the lumen of the diverticula. The mitochondria are evenly dispersed between the myofibrils and are often paired up on either side of the Z-band. The Z-bands are thick and fragmented. The length of the sarcomeres varies from 3.3 to 6.1 mu. The A-band length is about 3 mu. The myofibrils consist of thick (250 A) and thin (85 A) filaments. Each thick filament is surrounded by 9-12 thin filaments. The sarcoplasmic reticulum is well developed and separates the myofibrils with one or two layers. The T-tubules are flattened and branch irregularly like a two-dimensional tree between the lamellar myofibrils. Intercalated discs are observed. The peculiarities of the muscle of aortic diverticula in S. danae are discussed in relation to various muscles of other insects and arthropods.