Insect Puparium Removal: A Method for Pupal Investigation
Published: April 30, 2023
Abstract
Source: Fukutomi, Y., et al. Methods for Staging Pupal Periods and Measurement of Wing Pigmentation of Drosophila guttifera. J. Vis. Exp. (2018).
This article describes a technique to remove an insect’s puparium while keeping the inside pupa intact and therefore fit for further investigation. The example protocol shows the procedure with Drosophila guttifera; however, this technique is applicable to other Drosophila species.
Protocol
This protocol is an excerpt from Fukutomi et al., Methods for Staging Pupal Periods and Measurement of Wing Pigmentation of Drosophila guttifera, J. Vis. Exp. (2018). 1. Removing puparium NOTE Pupae of Drosophila are covered by a structure called the puparium. An insect of Muscomorpha (flies) does not shed its larval cuticle at pupation; instead, …
Representative Results
Figure 1. Illustration of removing puparium. (A) Place a pupa ventral side up on a piece of double-sided tape. Remove the anterior part of the puparium. (B) Break the puparium with forceps from the ventral side. (C) After breaking the puparium, take out the pupa using a paintbrush.
Disclosures
The authors have nothing to disclose.
Materials
| Drosophila guttifera | The Drosophila Species Stock Center at the U.C. San Diego | 15130-1971.10 | Drosophila guttifera, a fruit fly species used in this article |
| NICETACK double sided tape | Nichiban | NW-15SF | Double sided tape, for removing puparium |
| Dumont #5 forceps | Fine Science Tools | 11252-20 | Forceps, for removing puparium |
| Van Gogh VISUAL Paint brush | Talens Japan | GWVR-#5/0 | Paint brush, for removing puparium |
| Stereomicroscope | Olympus | SZX16 | Stereomicroscope, for morphological observation |
| Digital camera | Olympus | DSE-330-A | Digital camera, for imaging |
| Falcon standard tissue culture dish | Corning | 353002 | Plastic Petri dish (diameter 60 mm x height 15 mm) |
Cite This Article
Insect Puparium Removal: A Method for Pupal Investigation. J. Vis. Exp. (Pending Publication), e20048, doi: (2023).