Cuticular control of diffusional water permeability

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Abstract

The diffusional water permeability (Pd) in various gut structures of the fleshfly, Sarcophaga bullata, was measured using tritiated water. Water Pd in the larval hindgut was 3.91 × 10−6 cm/sec, whereas in the adult hindgut it was 4.4 × 10−4 cm/sec. The presence of cuticle in various parts of the gut apparently controls the water permeabilities of these structures. Furthermore, the water permeability of the cuticle may be correlated with the mechanism for the production of a hyperosmotic excretion in the hindgut.

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