THE INFLUENCE OF EPIDERMIS ON THE DEVELOPING FLIGHT MUSCLES IN GALLERIA MELLONELLA

Abstract

In Galleria mellonella, the flight muscles in the mesothorax develop from four myoblast aggregations. There are no larval muscles or rudimentary imaginal muscles to impose their own orientation on that of the developing muscles. However, the myoblasts get attached to the epidermis before a final sorting of the myoblasts has been achieved and before orientation is final. Therefore the epidermal attachment must influence the orientation. Influence of the removal of epidermis on the orientation of the developing flight muscles has been studied. The evidence suggests that certain patches of epidermis are involved with myoblasts, and other patches often closely associated are not. There must be specific epidermis for myoblast attachment. The epidermis therefore plays a prime role in muscle orientation.