DISCONTINUOUS VENTILATION IN TERRESTRIAL INSECTS

Current knowledge concerning the occurrence, distribution, and mechani sm of the insect discontinuous ventilation cycle, or DVC, is evaluated in the light of recent data. The congruence between the emerging body of data and the generally accepted theoretical understanding of the D VC, the modulation of the DVC to accommodate varying metabolic rates, the mass scaling characteristics of the DVC, and general issues concer ning the measurement and quantification of the DVC are discussed. In a ddition, new experimental data on respiratory water loss during the op en-spiracle and fluttering-spiracle phases are described.