Secretion of Wax through the Cuticle of Insects

Abstract

ON the outside of an insect there is a layer of wax or grease which is its main protection against desiccation¹. At moulting the wax appears as an outer layer of the epicuticle about 0.1−1µ, thick² at the time the old skin is shed. Wax may also be secreted during an instar for the repair of abrasions to the cuticle. This poses the problem of how the wax—often hard and with a m.p. above 60° C.—can be transported from the epithelium to the outside through the hydrophilic endocuticle.