Tyrosinase and the Structure of the Egg Shell of Acheta Domesticus (L.)

The endochorion of the egg of the house cricket, Acheta domesticus (L.), is composed, in part, of imbricated scales. These scales are revealed in the pattern of melanization of the chorion that results on immersing eggs in aqueous tyrosine before they have begun to absorb water. Such treatment prevents the normal breaking up of the endochorion, but does not prevent water absorption or normal development of the eggs. Failure of the endochorion to fragment in the usual way affects the structure of the underlying lipoid layer of the serosal cuticle.