Whiting's Hypothesis and Pteromalus: A Critique of Dozorceva's (1936) Study

Abstract

Whiting (1933) postulated for Habrobracon that [female][female] are XY, diploid [male][male] XX and YY, haploid [male][male] X and Y. Diploid [male][male] are less frequent than [female][female] because less viable and because in outcrosses selective syngamy takes place, the sperm nucleus uniting with the egg nucleus with unlike sex chromosome. The author assumes this to mean that half of the eggs are unfertilizable by sperm from any one [male]. On this basis data of Dozorceva (1936) on sex-linked trait, red eyes, in P. puparum are inconsistent with Whiting''s theory.