THE KANSAS UNIVERSITY 



SCIENCE BULLETIN 



Vol. XIV.] October, 1922. [No. 14. 



The Urinary System of Phlegethontius sexta Johan. 



(Lepidoptera) . 



BY G. H. VANSELL. 



(Contribution from the Zoological Laboratory of the University of Kentucky.) 



PHLEGETHONTIUS SEXTA Johan., commonly known as the 

 southern tobacco worm, is used in many laboratories for mor- 

 phological study material. The paper of Alvah Peterson, published 

 in the September number of the "Annals of the Entomological So- 

 ciety of America, 1912," treats the general anatomy of Protoparce 

 Carolina Linn., but the Malpighian tubules are not shown in his fig- 

 ures as fully as some other parts. If the conditions shown in the 

 figures accompanying this paper differ from those found by Peterson 

 in his work it may throw some light on the proposed synonomy of 

 the species in question. 



Malpighian tubules are usually two in number, or in multiples of 

 two, and in most cases they empty directly, or through a bladder, 

 into the intestine. In the larvae of Microgaster, Koulagin found that 

 they open dorsally on the outside of the body on each side of the 

 anus. Those of Phlegethontius sexta Johan. empty into the small 

 intestine. 



. The specimens used for dissection in this work were killed in va- 

 rious ways. Some were dropped into a solution of 50 per cent alco- 

 hol. 48 per cent water, and 2 per cent formalin. Immediately after 

 death they were removed and the body wall split to allow the free 

 passage of the preservative to the inside organs. At the time of use 

 these specimens were further hardened by adding a solution of picric 

 acid and chloral hydrate. Others were dropped into Bouin's picro- 

 formol mixture, and later run up through alcohols. Various stains 



(36.5) 



