The control of ovary development by hormones has been shown in a number of insects, and evidence has been brought forward to demonstrate it in mosquitoes. It has been claimed on experimental grounds that a gonadotrophic hormone is secreted by the corpora allata after the intake of blood by female mosquitoes, co-ordinating ovary development with the supply of food (Detinova, 1945), and histological evidence has been produced connecting the corpora allata with ovary development (Mednikova, 1952).

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That the bodies are cells and not swollen nerve endings has been confirmed by phase contrast examination of living material. The ‘nerve/appears to be a homogeneous protoplasmic trunk surrounded by a very fine sheath.

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