INFLUENCE OF IMPLANTATION OF CORPUS ALLATU3I ON THE 

 OXYGEN CONSUMPTION OF PYRRHOCORIS APTERUS 



Влияние пересадки corpus allatum ua потребление кислорода у клопа 



Pyrrh ocuris apterus 



V. J. A. NOVAK, K. SLAM A and K. WENIG 



(Biological Institute, Entomological Laboratory of Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences 

 and Charles University, Praha, Czechoslovakia) 



Since 1935 луЬеп the incretory activity of corpora allata was proved by 

 Wiggles worth, much attention has been paid to the mechanism of the many- 

 sided effects of the so called juvenile hormone (JH). Some of them proved 

 to be more than an indirect consequence of its effect on other organs and 

 functions, e. g. its influence on moulting being just the result of its effect 

 on the survival of thoracic glands. 



As early as 2 years after the discovery Pflugfelder (1937) expressed the 

 opinion, that the juvenile hormone (JH) had a general effect on the metabolism. 

 His observations were confirmed later by Bodenstein (1943), Day (1943) 

 and by Pfeifer-Weed who made a very detailed qualitative analysis of the JH 

 effects in the female Melanoplus dijferentialis Thos. Finally, the JH influence 

 on the metabohsm was quantitatively proved in the work of E. Thomsen 

 who studied the influence of allatectomy on the oxygen consumption in adult 

 flies Calliphora eryfhrocephala (Meig.) with the result that allatectomy leads 

 to a decrease of oxygen consumption by about a quarter (24 p. c.) while the 

 implantation of 3 active с allata into the female Avith her own с allatum 

 brings about an increase of oxygen consumption by 19 p. c. Similar results 

 were reported by Pflugfelder (1952) on the basis of measurements of the 

 oxygen consumption in Dixippus morosus (Brunn.) Nevertheless, the experi- 

 ments did not answer the question whether in this case the effect of с allata 

 on the metabolism was direct or only an indirect consequence of ehmination 

 of the ovarial groAvth due to their absence. 



In our experiments female imagoes of Pyrrhocoris apterus (L.) were used. The 

 bugs were obtained from eggs laid in the laboratory at the temperature of 25°C. 

 Fed with ripe lime-seeds {Tillia parviflora) and water in a 16 days long photo- 

 period their development from the egg-laying to the imaginai moulting lasted 

 about 30 days. The first mating took place between the third — fifth day after 

 moulting, the oviposition betлveen the 5th — 9th day. The unfertilized females lay 

 eggs later, between the 12th— 14th day. The oxygen consumption after the 

 initial slight decrease rises again more or less regularly till the first oviposition, 

 then it falls suddenly and rises gradually again. The weight curve shows a similar 



K)* 147 



