Regional Differences in Cuticular Permeability in the Desert Cicada Diceroprocta Apache: Implications for Evaporative Cooling

ABSTRACT The cuticular permeability of the desert cicada Diceroprocta apache was measured in vivo from three regions of the dorsal surface: (1) the midline of the thorax (= dorsal thorax), a region that contains large pores (7–8 μm in diameter) located in a central tract; (2) the lateral thorax, a region in which large pores are absent, and (3) the midline of the abdomen, a region in which large pores are uniformly distributed over the surface. Transcuticular water flux rates were similar for all three areas at 27·0°C; however, at 41·5°C rates increased sharply for the dorsal thorax and abdomen, with tracings showing numerous irregular peaks that represent cycles of water extrusion. Transcuticular water flux for the lateral thorax, in contrast, was relatively unaffected by the temperature increase and the tracings remained relatively flat. Death of the animal at the higher temperature resulted in a significant decrease in water loss rates and a loss of the cycling pattern in both the dorsal thorax and abdomen, whereas water loss through the lateral thorax did not change. The active extrusion of water begins at 39·2–39·3°C in both male and female cicadas. Our findings confirm that the large pores are the routes by which water reaches the surface and that the temperature at which this active extrusion of water begins corresponds to the point where cicadas must seek milder microclimates to prevent body temperature from reaching lethal levels.