Congenital Body Malformations and Eye Color Mutations in Progeny from Irradiated Female Wasps (Dahlbominus)

Body malformations occurring in haploid male progeny from irradiated Dahlbominus females are described, and the rises in frequencies with advancing maternal age and with chronic versus acute exposures are shown to resemble the corresponding relationships for eye color mutations. This similarity in the two types of change, together with tests of the heritability of those malformations which were viable, indicate that most of the induced body anomalies are mutational in origin. This evidence from insects may be important for the interpretation of radiation effects in man, since insect embryos are not subject to prenatal accidents such as failures to implant and abortions, and thus can develop at least to the larval or the pupal stages even when the individual is abnormal. The rise in the frequencies with advancing age is known to be due to an increase in the number of radiation-sensitive oöcytes in the ovarioles.