Preliminary data about compartmentalization of the gut of the saprophagous dipteran larvae Penthetria holosericea (Bibionidae)

To describe the compartmentalization of the gut and the microbial activity in the digestive tract, the histology of the gut wall, enzymatic activity, pH of the gut content, abundance and composition of the microbial community (direct counts, plate counts on various media, and phospholipid fatty acid analyses—PLFA) were studied in the Penthetria holosericea larvae. The highest secretion activity was observed in the caeca and in the part of the anterior midgut before caeca openings. A strong increase in pH (10.5) was observed in the anterior part of the midgut. Some enzymes produced in the caeca might have their maximum activity in a different part of the gut as a result of their pH optimum; e.g. amylase was most active in the strongly alkaline anterior part of the mesenteron. Maltase, hydrolyzing products of starch degradation, was most active in the posterior part of the gut and in the ectoperithrophic space. The microbial community was reduced in the anterior part of the midgut. In the posterior part of the gut, bacterial numbers increased and peaked in excrements. Caeca had an abundant microbial community.