NO. 3 HEMOLYMPH COAGULATION IN INSECTS 3 



Specimens from more than 1,000 species of insects and of other 

 arthropods have already been tested about the pattern of coagulation 

 of their hemolymph or blood (Gregoire, 1951, 1953, 1955a, b, 1957, 

 unpublished observations on palearctic insects (1957-1958) ; Gregoire 

 and Jolivet, 1957). Predominance of one of the patterns has been 

 observed in several taxonomic groups. In other groups, owing to the 

 scarcity of the data available, or to large variations in the results, the 

 pattern representative of a species or of a group at a supraspecific 

 level could not be established. 



The aim of the present study was to fill some gaps in the data. Four 

 hundred Neotropical insects, belonging to 215 species, including 185 

 species not yet investigated, were collected and studied during visits to 

 Tingo Maria, Peru (Estacion Experimental Agricola), August 1956, 

 and to the Smithsonian Institution's tropical preserve on Barro Colo- 

 rado Island (Canal Zone Biological Area), October 1956. 



MATERIAL AND METHODS 



The samples of hemolymph were mostly thin films prepared as soon 

 as possible after capture. The hemolymph issuing from severed or 

 punctured appendages (antennae, legs, wings, joints of the wing- 

 cases) was placed immediately in contact with the edge of a cover 

 glass lying on a slide and was allowed to spread out into films. 



A phase-contrast optical equipment WILD M/10 was used for the 

 observations (see Gregoire, 1955a, p. 105, and 1957, pp. 1 and 3). 



RESULTS 



DISTRIBUTION OF THE PATTERNS OF COAGULATION OF THE HEMO- 

 LYMPH IN INSECTS (TABLE i) 



Detailed descriptions of the four patterns of coagulation of the in- 

 sect hemolymph, used in the present study, have been given elsewhere 

 (Gregoire, 1955a, p. 104; 1957, pp. 4-6 and text figs. 1-4). 



In the table, the names of the species are followed by the numbers 

 of specimens studied (adults, unless otherwise stated) and by the 

 patterns of coagulation provisionally found predominant or repre- 

 sentative on the basis of the study of several samples of hemolymph 

 obtained from these specimens. Incidental findings of other patterns 

 are reported under "Comments." 



In order to avoid duplication, the patterns recorded in the present 

 study in 50 insects belonging to Neotropical species previously in- 

 vestigated (Gregoire, 1957) are reported in the notes, preceded by 

 the date "( I 957)-" 



