SUMMARYWater transport across the plasma membrane depends on the presence of the water channel aquaporin (AQP), which mediates the bulk movement of water through osmotic and pressure gradients. In terrestrial insects, which are solid and/or plant feeders, the entrance and exit of water is primarily executed along the alimentary tract, where the hindgut, particularly the rectum, is the major site of water conservation. A cDNA encoding the homologue of the water-specific Drosophila AQP [Drosophila integral protein ( Supplementary material available online at