Comprehensive Entomology – Morphology, Behavior, Evolution, and Pest Management Practice Test

Cystocytes are specialized insect hemocytes that drive coagulation and wound sealing. When a insect is injured, these cells release components that activate a cascade leading to melanin formation around the wound. This rapid melanization solidifies a clot, plugs the leak of hemolymph, and helps trap pathogens as part of the defense response. Oxygen transport in insects comes mainly from the tracheal system, not from these blood cells, so that option doesn’t fit. Nutrient storage and energy production aren’t the primary roles of cystocytes, either. So the function of cystocytes is to mediate coagulation.