A quantitative study of mitotic divisions of haemocytes of Galleria mellonella larvae

• Published in: Journal of insect physiology Vol. 14; no. 8; pp. 1055 - 1061
• Main Authors: Jones, Jack Colvard, Liu, Daisy P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.01.1968
• Subjects: Animals; Blood Cells - cytology; Hemolymph - cytology; Larva - cytology; Lepidoptera - cytology; Mitosis
• ISSN: 0022-1910; 1879-1611
• DOI: 10.1016/0022-1910(68)90043-7

Definite haemocytopoietic organs were not found in histological sections of 14- to 22-day-old Galleria larvae. In the circulating haemolymph of unfixed larvae only plasmatocyte-like cells were seen in mitotic divisions (70 per cent of the divisions were metaphases). No amitotic divisions were seen in any haemocytes. The mean mitotic rate for all 430 larvae used in the study was 1·98/thousand haemocytes per hr from 0800 to 1600 hr from days 14 to 22. There was no significant difference in mitotic rates either between any of the hours studied or between the different stages of cocooning, but there was a highly significant decline in the rate as larvae approached pupation (in 19- to 22-day-old larvae). Various calculations are presented which indicate that the low mitotic rate of the haemocytes accounts for the maintenance of these cells in the normal larva.