Fig. 3.

Wings of normal adults and those given br RNA interference as nymphs. (A) A normal, uninjected adult Oncopeltus has wings that project past the posterior end of the abdomen. (B) A typical adult formed from a 4′ nymph produced by injection of Of’br dsRNA into an early fourth-instar nymph. The wings were significantly reduced and were often held out to the side. Eighty-three percent (n = 47) of the 4′ nymphs died during the next molt as pharate adults. Of these, 8 of 39 had ruptured dorsal thoracic (notal) cuticles. (C) A typical adult produced after injection of Of’br dsRNA into a third-instar nymph that subsequently underwent molts to a 3′ and then a 4′ nymph. Adult pigmentation and morphology was normal, but the wings were smaller and held out to a greater extent than those of adults produced from a normal fifth-instar or 4′-instar nymph. (D–F) Typical wings of a normal adult (D), an adult that followed a 4–4′ nymphal series (E), and an adult that followed a 3–3′–4 nymphal series (F).