STUDIES ON AMINO ACID REQUIREMENTS OF LARVAE OF THE ONION MAGGOT, HYLEMYA ANTIQUA (MG.), UNDER ASEPTIC CONDITIONS

Abstract

On diets lacking one of l-arginine, l-histidine, l-isoleucine, l-tryptophan, or l-valine all the test larvae of the onion maggot, Hylemya antiqua (Mg.), died in the first instar. On diets lacking either l-phenylalanine or l-threonine, all died before the third instar; on those from which l-leucine, l-lysine, or l-methionine was omitted, all died before reaching the pupal stage. Diets lacking l-alanine, l-aspartic acid, l-cysteine, l-glutamic acid, glycine, l-hydroxyproline, l-proline, l-serine, or l-tyrosine did not block larval development. Eighty-one per cent of the larvae on one of the complete diets developed to the adult stage; eggs laid by these adults and by adults from the diet lacking l-glutamic acid hatched and produced normal larvae. The test larvae were reared individually and aseptically on chemically defined diets.