The moulting process and the phenomenon of intermoult growth in the filarial nematode Brugia pahangi

Abstract

SummaryThe larvae of Brugia pahangi recovered from the jird have been shown to grow continuously between moults, their length increasing at least 5-fold during the 4th instar. This intermoult growth is achieved without an increase in the surface area of larvae. The cuticle of very early 4th and 5th-stage worms is highly folded and intermoult growth is accommodated by an expansion of surface annular folds. The major increases in the surface area of larvae occur only through ecdysis, with an 8-fold increase in the surface area being achieved at the 3rd moult. The growth curve of these worms is therefore sigmoidal but the surface area curve is stepped. The relationship between the cuticles of nematodes and insects is discussed