1919] Ruckes: Male Genital System in Lepidoptera 199 



the testes are colored, this coat is the repository for the pigment 

 granules (Pg. — Fig. 7), which are beHeved to be waste products 

 of urate character. Fine purpHsh and brown granules can be 

 readily observes in small bits of this coat torn from the testis 

 of Pieris larva and viewed in toto. 



'Through the interstices of this tissue, tracheas having 

 passed through the capsular coat, branch and ramify. These 

 tracheae also pass through the basement membrane into the 

 chambers of the testis, there to resolve themselves into tracheoles 

 which lie in close relationship with the groups of spermatocysts. 

 This condition is to be expected sinCe the sex cells are rapidl}^ 

 growing bodies, and consequently need relatively large amounts 

 of oxygen for metabolism. Choldkovsky (1880), stated that 

 the tracheae never penetrate the basement rnembrane, and enter 

 the follicular chambers. Koschevnikoff (1891) disproved this 

 statement for Apis mellifica, and the present writer has found 

 that each testicular chamber has small masses of tracheoles in 

 it, which can be traced back to the tracheae passing through the 

 basement membrane, usually the membrane lying approximate 

 to the sept£e. 



The Capsular Coat. Less interesting than the testicular 

 tube coat is the capsular coat, surrounding the entire testis, 

 and in some cases easily separated from its inner neighbor. 

 Usually about the same in thickness as the inner coat, this outer 

 layer of cells shows a marked contrast, in view of the nature of 

 the cytoplasm and the compactness of the tissue. The layer 

 stains poorly, but on close examination, it may be seen that 

 the cytoplasm is very spongy and granular. The cells are 

 usually cuboidal, and very closely placed. They may be only 

 one layer of cells, as in C. promethia and Pieris rapae. The 

 nuclei are usually spherical and centrally placed. There is 

 no pigment or fat distributed in the outer coat. 



As mentioned above, over the periphery of the capsular coat 

 lies a layer of structureless material that has all evidence of 

 being chitin or of chitinous origin. It is flakey, tough and 

 readily stains with iron haemotoxylin, picro-fuchsin, and aniline 

 blue. It originates probably through the degeneration of the 

 tracheae which are abundant over the surface of the testis. 

 In breaking down, the chitin composing the tenidia becomes 

 chemically changed, assumes a plastic consistency, and flows 



