The Formation of Tracheae and Tracheoles in Rhodnius prolixus

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Abstract
The formation of tracheae in Rhodnius is described by the hypothesis of expansion and buckling. The cuticulin lining is at first a smooth-walled cylinder. Later it expands equally in each direction, increasing in diameter but buckling in the axis. An engineering expression describing symmetrical buckling in a cylinder under uniform axial compression has been applied to this process. Agreement was obtained between the expected and observed values for buckling frequency and tube-wall thickness. The taenidia are formed within the buckles, their amplitude being proportional to the increase in diameter. The axial orientation of the chitin micelles in the lining membrane and the tangential orientation in the taenidia are consistent with their being oriented by the stresses expected during expansion and buckling. The formation of tracheoles may also be described by the expansion and buckling hypothesis.

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