Ontogenetic features of the morphology of hemolymph cells in Henosepilachna vigintioctomaculata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) as an indicator of biodiversity

Insect hemocytes are a complex of different types of cells that differ morphologically and functionally. The study of morphological variability of hemocytes Henosepilachna vigintioctomaculata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) was carried out, eight types of cells were identified: spherulocytes, enocytoids, adipohemocytes, prohemocytes, plasma cells, granulocytes, cystocytes and phagocytes. The predominant type of hemocytes at all stages of ontogenesis are prohemocytes. In the hemolymph of larvae, the most numerous are prohemocytes with a basophilic nucleus (32.07%), prohemocytes with an eosinophilic nucleus (38.12%), and plasmatocytes (19.4%). The pupa is characterized by prohemocytes (64.3%), the sizes of which coincided with those of the adults (10.09 ± 2.11 and 9.45 ± 1.85 µm). At the adult stage, adipohemocytes, enocytoids and cystocytes were found, which were not observed at the larval stage. The size of hemocytes changed depending on the stage of ontogenesis. Thus, it was found that the cellular composition of the Henosepilachna vigintioctomaculata hemolymph is the same for the adult and pupal stages, but it has differences in the dimensional characteristics of the formed elements. The larval stage has its own characteristics in the cellular composition of the hemolymph: the absence of three types of hemocytes and the formation of two subtypes of prohemocytes.