In vitro culture of ovaries of a viviparous gall midge

Ovaries of the viviparous pedogenetic gall midge Heteropeza pygmaea can be cultured in hemolymph obtained from X-ray-sterilized larvae of the same species. In this culture medium, formation of follicles is essentially the same as in vivo, and sometimes female larvae develop from these follicles. The ovaries of such larvae, in their turn, have been cultured in vitro to produce larvae. In this way, in vitro development from oogonium to larva has been maintained for several generations. When using hemolymph obtained from larvae grown under different conditions, the in vitro cultured ovaries produce a second type of egg which probably is male-determined. Ovarian development in vitro has been studied with differential interference contrast optics and time-lapse cinemicrography.