Development and Degeneration of Wing Buds and Indirect Flight Muscles in the Pea Aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum (HARRIS))

Abstract

Histological studies of pea-aphid embryos and larvae showed that the wing buds and myoblast of muscles were present in all the embryos as well as the 1st and 2nd instar larvae. In the 3rd instar larvae, wing buds and myoblast of muscles were developed into the alate form. Indirect flight muscles in alate virginoparous females began degenerating at the start of reproduction. In the alate males, the indirect flight muscles did not degenerate even up to 49 days after the final moult. During 1;o 9 days after the final moult, the flight activity in the alate virginoparous females was very high but it decreased at the start of the reproduction period. In the alate virginoparous females which lived for about 10 days after the final moult under starvation conditions, the indirect flight muscles did not degenerate and they flew very well throughout their life period. © 1987, JAPANESE SOCIETY OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY. All rights reserved.