Circulatory System

Insects, like all other arthropods, have an open circulatory system which differs in both structure and function from the closed circulatory system found in humans and other vertebrates. In a closed system, blood is always contained within vessels (arteries, veins, capillaries, or the heart itself). In an open system, blood (usually called hemolymph) spends much of its time flowing freely within body cavities where it makes direct contact with all internal tissues and organs.

The circulatory system is responsible for movement of nutrients, salts, hormones, and metabolic wastes throughout the insect’s body. In addition, it plays several critical roles in defense: it seals off wounds through a clotting reaction, it encapsulates and destroys internal parasites or other invaders, and in some species, it produces (or sequesters) distasteful compounds that provide a degree of protection against predators. The hydraulic (liquid) properties of blood are important as well. Hydrostatic pressure generated internally by muscle contraction is used to facilitate hatching, molting, expansion of body and wings after molting, physical movements (especially in soft-bodied larvae), reproduction (e.g. insemination and oviposition), and evagination of certain types of exocrine glands. In some insects, the blood aids in thermoregulation: it can help cool the body by conducting excess heat away from active flight muscles or it can warm the body by collecting and circulating heat absorbed while basking in the sun.

A dorsal vessel is the major structural component of an insect’s circulatory system. This tube runs longitudinally through the thorax and abdomen, along the inside of the dorsal body wall. In most insects, it is a fragile, membranous structure that collects hemolymph in the abdomen and conducts it forward to the head.