Using chromatographic and spectrophotometric methods, riboflavin was determined to be the major component of yellow pigment in the Malpighian tubes of wild-type Drosophila melanogaster. While reduced yellow pigment accumulation in larvae of eye color mutants is consistently correlated with a reduction of drosopterin formation in adults, reduction of drosopterin synthesis is not always associated with decreased yellow pigment in Malpighian tubes.In the light mutant, reduced yellow pigment accumulation per se is not responsible for reduced drosopterin synthesis; however, a labile cytoplasmic factor associated with the light maternal effect does influence yellow pigment accumulation in Malpighian tubes.

Activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidases (PER) were examined at 24-h intervals during Drosophila development. SOD activities show a U-shaped curve from egg to adult stages whereas CAT and PER are consistently low in egg through larval stages. Male and female larvae have similar activities of SOD, CAT, and PER whereas male adults have elevated activities of these enzymes. Larvae are more sensitive to H2O2 and 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (an inhibitor of CAT) than adults.

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A histological study of the carnation-light lethal focus revealed morphological abnormalities in brain tissue. The ratio of core width to total brain width and brain texture consistently differed between lethal (car-lt) and their non-lethal sibs.