A reassessment of the variations in the water content of the larvae ofNematodirus battusduring the hatching process

Abstract

Parkin (1975) considered that the water content of the unhatched 3rd-stage larva ofNematodirus battusincreased as it approached hatching, and then fell immediately after the larva escaped from the egg-shell, to the very low value for estimated water content for hydrated individuals of 43·7%. A repetition of this work suggests that these results are in error. Prior to hatching, the water content of larvae remained constant; after hatching there was a marked increase in water content to an estimated value for fully hydrated individuals of 74·5%, a value more in keeping with other findings.