On the Presence of Fats in the intestinal wall of Nematodes

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Abstract
In November, 1926, the writer observed the active revival of larvæ of Tylenchus dipsaci in water after being kept in a dry condition since September, 1920; a period of just over 6 years. These almost adult larvæ, which had been collected from Narcissus bulbs, were richly supplied with an abundance of reserve food bodies in the wall of the intestine and an attempt was made to determine the nature of these reserves. Various tests were carried out with different chemical reagents and stains and it was finally found that they were composed of fats in the form of small, spherical droplets of oil of variable size. Following these observations, as opportunity arose, other plant-parasitic and free-living nematodes have been examined for the presence of fats in and around the intestinal wall.