Page 18 - For Men of Understanding

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM:
The respiratory system of the
larva is based on a method
whereby the larva breathes air by
means of a hollow tube pushed
up above the water surface.
Meanwhile, larvae hang upside
down under the water. A viscous
secretion prevents water from
Gnats during
their pupal leaking into the openings
stage
through which larvae breathe.

in a row either in groups or one by one. Some
species deposit their eggs in a form, which is
joined together like a raft. Some of these egg
groups contain about 300 eggs.
The neatly placed white eggs soon start to
darken, and they turn completely black in a cou-
ple of hours. This dark colour provides protec-
tion for the larvae by preventing them from being
noticed by other insects and birds. Apart from the
eggs, the skin colours of some other larvae also
change according to their surroundings, and this
helps to protect them.

The larvae change colours by making use of
certain factors after quite complicated chemical
processes. No doubt, neither the eggs, nor the lar-
vae, nor the mother gnat is aware of the process-
es behind the colour changes during the gnat’s
different developmental stages. It is out of the
question for these living beings themselves to Pupa
make this system or for this system to form by
coincidence. Gnats have been created with these
systems from the moment they first appeared.

Larvae
COMING OUT OF THE EGG
When the incubation period is complete, lar-
vae start to come out of the eggs almost simulta-
neously. The larvae, which feed continuously,
grow quickly. Soon, their skins become too tight,
not allowing them to grow any further. This indi-

cates that it is time for the first change of skin. In
this phase, the hard and brittle skin breaks easily.

16 For Men of Understanding