COMPARATIVE INVESTIGATIONS ON FINE STRUCTURE OF PERITROPHIC MEMBRANES OF INSECTS

Microfibrils in peritrophic membranes of insects - probably containing the chitin of these membranes - are arranged in only three types of texture. Sometimes these types of texture are convergent. Different stages of a given species have the same type of texture. Although in some orders the same type of texture occurs in all those species which have been investigated, there is no conformity in others. There seems to be no correlation between type of texture and either mode of formation of peritrophic membranes or nutrition of the insect. © 1969 Springer-Verlag.