Ndg^Δ0.4 third instar larvae show locomotor defects compared to controls: lower stride frequency despite of similar walking speed; significantly lower climbing distance, and the orientation of pupal cases is significantly shifted to the horizontal axis. Ndg^Δ0.4 third instar larvae also show severely decreased body length retraction in response to vibrational stimuli, as compared to controls.

When placed on agar plates supplemented with yeast paste as food source, Ndg^Δ1.4/Ndg^Δ0.4 transheterozygous first instar larvae are more frequently observed outside the food than controls; this is not observed in Ndg^Δ0.4 homozygotes.

Basement membranes in Ndg^Δ0.4 larvae are leaky, as wing discs show decreased resistance to osmotic stress, and present ultrastructural defects, namely small holes in the close vicinity of longitudinal visceral muscles on the midgut surface; heterozygotes also show small holes in the basement membrane.