Abstract
The diploid number in Rhodnius is 22 in both sexes. At hatching the fat-body cells are tetraploid, with a few octoploid. This polyploidy is presumed to arise by endomitosis in the egg. In the fully nourished insect this state persists throughout life; and occasional 16n and 32n nuclei occur. Whether these arise by endomitosis or by nuclear fusion has not been established. In extreme starvation (e.g. 8 months from the time of moulting in the 4th-stage larva at 26 °C) polyploidy increases greatly. This results from nuclear fusion in interphase. The evidence is as follows: