Insect mucosubstances. 3. Some mucosubstances of the nervous systems of the wax-moth (Galleria mellonella) and the stick insect (Carausius morosus).

Abstract

A mass of connective tissue, continuous with the neural lamella, develops on the dorsal side of the abdominal region of the nerve cord of Lepidoptera during the pupal stage. The mucosubstances of this tissue in the wax-moth,Galleria mellonella, have been characterized histochemically using various techniques involving Alcian Blue binding, periodic acid-Schiff and high iron diamine reactions, and enzyme digestions. The results indicate that this fibrous tissue contains chondroitin and dermatan sulphates and neutral glycoproteins. Thoracic ganglia of adult stick insects,Carausius morosus, were subjected to the same histochemical tests. The neural lamella possesses chondroitin, dermatan and keratan sulphates, while the glial lacunar system contains only hyaluronic acid.