Ovarian development in autogenous and anautogenous Lucilia cuprina in relation to protein storage in the larval fat body

Females of Lucilia cuprina from field populations and from normally maintained laboratory cultures are anautogenous. Normal anautogenous females were compared with females from a laboratory selected autogenous strain especially as regards protein storage and ovarian protein content. The following differences were found: (1) autogenous females at emergence from the puparium contain about 1 mg (20%) more protein than anautogenous females of equal fresh weight, (2) about 70% of this additional protein is accounted for by increased protein content of the abdominal larval fat body, (3) the larval fat body of autogenous females has greater volume and greater protein content per unit volume than that of anautogenous females, (4) the greater volume of larval fat body in autogenous females is the result of increased cell size rather than cell number, (5) the protein content of the ovaries of mature non-protein-fed autogenous females is about 1 mg. That of non-protein-fed anautogenous females of similar age is negligible, (6) the larval fat body of non-protein-fed anautogenous females disappears more rapidly after emergence than does that of autogenous females.