Effects of Starvation on the Blood of Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica Newman) Larvae

Abstract

Third instar Japanese beetle larvae were starved for 4 weeks and detns. of blood composition made at weekly intervals. Protein N, osmotic pressure and water content remained constant during the entire period. Increases in the following blood components were noted: nonprotein N from 619 to 1210 mg. %; amino N, 236 to 438 mg. %; and reducing compounds from 248 to 327 mg. %. Free fat rose from 420 to 593 mg. % during the first 2 weeks and then fell toward the normal value during the last 14 days. These changed suggest that the blood is not a reservoir for materials which may be used during starvation, but rather that it accumulates wastes from tissue metabolism.