Submitted to: Annals of the Entomological Society of America
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: December 7, 1997
Publication Date: N/A
Interpretive Summary: Discovery of environmentally safe substitutes for insecticides requires research on the mode of action of alternatives, such as insect growth regulators. Investigation of such actions in insect embryos is hampered by the small size and opaque nature of moth eggs, a scientist at the Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, ARS, in Gainesville, Florida, discovered a new method for visual examination of minute embryos.
Technical Abstract:
The tracheal system, bristles, and gut of some holometabolous insects can be made visible by using aqueous albumin to clear larvae that are newly hatched or are near hatching. The method has been applied to detect tracheal defects in larvae of stored products pests after exposure to juvenile hormone agonists. It could potentially be used to detect juvenoid agonist sensitivity early in life of a variety of insects. The method should be helpful in taxonomic studies of immatures and for cuticle preparation of some adult insects. The procedure is also appropriate for educational purposes because only non-toxic aqueous albumin and water is required.
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