K. Fujikawa et al., MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF EGGSHELL IN THE SHIROTAE-RAN MUTANT, VIT, BOMBYX-MORI, Journal of the Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, 41(1-2), 1996, pp. 75-81
The morphology of the eggshell (chorion) of the shirotae-ran mutant, v
it (wherein the yolky substances are poor), of Bombyx mori was observe
d by scanning electron microscopy and differential interference contra
st microscopy. The egg size was slightly smaller in the mutant; than i
n the normal. The surface structures of the micropyle in the anterior
pole region and the basic patterns of the network structures (polygons
) imprinted on the lateral flat surfaces as well as the mode of distri
bution of the small knobs in the posterior, ventral and dorsal regions
exhibited no peculiarity in the mutant. The polygons were significant
ly smaller in size in the mutant than in the normal. However, the numb
er of polygons per whole lateral side did not differ between the mutan
t and the normal. The cross section of the mutant chorion was as usual
in terms of layer structure and thickness. These findings imply that
the choriogenesis occurs ordinarily in the vit mutant.