HYDROGEN ION CONCENTRATIONS IN THE BLOOD OF INSECTS

Abstract

The range of pH values for the blood of grasshoppers and of houseflies is 7.2 to 7.6. The range of values for roaches is 7.5 to 8.0. The range for Malacosoma americanum is 6.4 to 7.4; and the range for Bombyx mori is 6.4 to 7.2. From the work of other investigators and from the writer's results, it is apparent that the pH of insect blood, in general, may vary between 6.4 and 8.0. In the forms observed no correlation exists between blood pH and age, nor between pH and metamorphosis.