The Larval-Pupal Transformation of Manduca sexta:1 Changes in Body and Tissue Weights and Amount of Hemolymph Contaminating the Tissues

Abstract

Changes in total body and tissue weights and the extent to which hemolymph contaminates blotted but unrinsed tissues were determined during development of the tobacco homworm, Manduca sexta L.. The weights of integument (–35%), gut (–50%) and hemolymph volume (–60%) all decline between the feeding fifth larval and newly molted pupal stages in development, in contrast to fat body which increased 33%. However, increases occur in the percentages of the stage specific body weights contributed both by integument (+26%) and fat body (+120%). Homworms experienced a 75% loss in body weight between the larval and adult stages in development, of which 47% occurred during the larval-pupal transformation, but only 6% occurred during pupal-adult development. Hemolymph contaminating the specific tissues declined systematically in fat body (26 to 13%), midgut (10 to 5.5%) and integument (14.5 to 2%) between the feeding larval and newly molted pupal stages in development.