Surface morphology of peritrophic membrane formation in the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni

The development of the peritrophic membrane in the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni, was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The development of this membrane is characterized by a series of events suggested by the observations to be (1) secretion of material among and above the microvilli of the midgut epithelial cells, (2) maturation of this material into a randomly cross-linked fibrous matrix, and (3) aggregation of amorphous materials in and within the matrix. The membrane, possessing small discontinuities, remains intact in the midgut, but shows gross damage by the time it is passed from the insect, surrounding the feces.