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Chilled Galleria mellonella larvae: mechanism of supernumerary moulting
Author(s) -
BOGUŚ MIECZYSŁAWA I.,
CYMBOROWSKI BRONISŁAW
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
physiological entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1365-3032
pISSN - 0307-6962
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3032.1981.tb00649.x
Subject(s) - galleria mellonella , biology , instar , moulting , larva , ecdysis , pyralidae , corpus allatum , zoology , anatomy , botany , juvenile hormone , biochemistry , virulence , gene
. Supernumerary larval instars were produced when Galleria mellonella L. (Lepidoptera) larvae were chilled at 0°C. Although sensitivity to cooling stress of the last instar and younger larvae were generally the same, only penultimate and the last instar larvae showed a significant correlation between their age and the number of additional larval moults. Chilling stress induced a rapid and persistent increase in the JH titre of the last instar larvae. Severing the ventral nerve cord resulted in a predictable loss of the ability to produce supernumerary moults in chilled last instar larvae. The data suggest that sensory input stimulates allatotropic hormone secretion by the brain of chilled larvae. The possible mechanism controlling supernumerary moulting is discussed.