Circulatory system of

cockroach
B. Sc.1st year
Circulatory system

 Poorly developed and open type.

 Because the blood vessels open into spaces but
not into capillaries so that blood come in
contact directly with tissues.
 So the rate of circulation is low.
 It consist of haemocoel, haemolymph(blood)
and heart.

Circulatory system of cockroach

Haemocoel:

 In embryonic stage, perivisceral coelom is found but as the growth

proceeds, blood vessels enlarge and swells into irregular spaces called
sinuses or lacunae.
 Sinuses join together to form body cavity which is filled with blood and all
visceral organ lie on it.
 So the body cavity itself is a part of circulatory system and is called
haemocoel (haema-blood, coel-cavity)i.e. blood filled cavity
 In cockroach haemocoel extends from anterior end to posterior end of the
body.
 Haemocoel is divided into three bigger sinuses by two horizontal septa.
 Septa are called dorsal diaphragm and ventral diaphragm.
Contd-
 Sinuses are upper dorsal sinus (pericardial sinus), enclosing the heart.
 Middle perivisceral sinus enclosing various visceral organs and ventral
perineural sinus enclosing ventral nerve cord.

Circulatory system of cockroach

Contd-

 Both the diaphragms are provided with pores (Perforated) so three

sinuses remain in communication with each other.
 A series of paired alary muscles are attached to the dorsal diaphragm.
 They are triangular in shape and their pointed outer ends are inserted
into the terga.
Heart

 Elongated tube with muscular wall and consisting 13 segmentally

arranged funnel shaped chambers.
 A pair of ostia are present on the lateral sides of each chamber,
which are guarded by valves and allow blood to only enter the heart.
 Heart is made up of a single layer of cells having striated muscles.
 First chamber of heart is continued anteriorly into anterior aorta,
which opens into haemocoel of head.
 Alternate contraction and relaxations of12 pairs of alary muscles
cause the dorsal diaphragm to raise and fall.
 So the blood flow from perivesceral sinus to pericardial sinus and
finally into heart as it beats.
Contd-

 Muscular wall of heart contracts from behind to forward

and blood is forced into anterior aorta.
 From anterior aorta the blood re enters the haemocoel
and goes slowly to organs and appendages.
 At the base of each antennae, there is an accessory
pulsatile vesicle which also pumps blood.
Haemolymph or blood

 It has colourless plasma and many corpuscles called haemocytes.

 No respiratory pigments.
 Hence no role in transportation of respiratory gases.
 Its main function is to transport various nutrients from one part of the
body to other and to carry nitrogenous waste substances from the
tissue to the organ of excretion.
 Plasma contains about 70% of water and large number of organic
molecules like free amino acids, proteins, sugar,fats, uric acid etc.
Course of blood circulation

 Wave of contraction in the heart starts from posterior to anterior end

which forces the haemolymph in the anterior aorta.
 From anterior aorta the haemolymph enters into the haemocoel of
head.
 Then passes into the ventral and perivisceral sinuses.
 Then from perivisceral sinus, it flows into pericardial sinus .
 Finally it fills in the heart.
 Complete circulation of haemolymph through the body takes nearly
30-60 minutes.
Respiratory system of
cockroach
B. Sc. 1st year
Respiratory system

 Respiratory system is well

developed.
 It consist of a system of air tubes
or tracheae.
 Every tissue of the body remains in
direct contact with the
environmental air for gaseous
exchange through tracheae.
 Environmental air enters into and
escapes out from the tracheae
through the spiracles.

Tracheal system of cockroach

(Dorsal view)
Spiracles

 Ten pairs of spiracles or stigmata are present on the lateral side of

the body. 
 The largest first pair is present on the mesothorax.
 The second pair is on the metathorax and the rest eight pairs are on
the first eight abdominal segments.
 Each spiracle is slit like aperture guarded by bristles or hairs to
prevent the passage of dirt.
 These are opened and closed by the valves regulated by spincter or
spiracular muscles.
 The aperture of each spiracle leads internally into a short chamber
called atrium from which arises the main tracheal trunk.
Tracheae

 These are elastic, closed, branching,

silvery white tubes forming the network.
 These are formed by the inpushing of
the ectoderm.
 Three pairs of large longitudinal
tracheal trunks, one dorsal, one ventral
and one lateral in position.
 All the trunks are connected by
transverse commissures.
Branching of tracheae within
 Thus they form a network which reaches the tissue of cockroach
to every part of the body.
Contd-

 The ultimate branches of

tracheae end in tracheole cell
from which arise very fine
tubes called tracheoles.
 Tracheoles have thin cuticle
lining and they end blindly in
the tissue cells.
Contd-

 In resting insect, when respitatory activity is low, the tracheoles are

filled with a tissue fluid (not with air) of cells in which oxygen
dissolves.
 As a result of which the cells of body or their fluids are in direct
communication with the environmental air.
 Thoracic spiracles leads into several tracheal trunks directly and
abdominal spiracles leads into lateral longitudinal trunks of their
sides.
Mechanism of respiration

 Inspiration and expiration take place through the spiracles .

 Expiration is active process but inspiration is passive.
 Air enters the spiracles during inspiration and comes to the tracheae,
tracheoles where oxygen dissolved with fluids of tracheoles and
reaches the tissue cells.
 Opening of spiracles and subsequent diffusion of air occur due to the
stimulation of spiracles by carbon dioxide.
 In expiration, some carbon dioxide may pass out through the spiracles
but major part of it diffuses out through the cuticular covering of the
body.
Contd-

 Carbon dioxide also dissolved in plasma and reaches the body surface,
which is permeable to gases and allows carbon dioxide to pass out.
 During running or flying(active movement) the metabolic rate is high
and osmotic pressure of tissue increases.
 As a result the fluid is withdrawn from the tracheoles into the body
cells.
 So the air extend deeply into tracheoles and directly reach the cells
and oxygen is taken by the fluid for the cells.
 In active movement, abdominal segments expand and relax (respiratory
movements),which cause more air to be taken in through the spiracles.