The importance of the phosphatases, specifically the monophosphoesterases, especially in nucleic acid and carbohydrate metabolism, has suggested the possibility that such enzymes might play an important role in the physiology of aging of animals. However, as in the case of most enzymes studied intensively in higher animals, little if any work has been done on the occurrence and chemistry of phosphatase, in insects in general, and in the adult honey bee, in particular.
Near the end of the present study, there appeared a report by Fitzgerald ( '49), concerning alkaline phosphatase in grasshopper eggs, which also included a review of most of the (limited) relevant literature up to 1948. Since that time there were published a later review on alkaline phosphatase by Roche and Thoai ( '50), on the phosphatases by Roche ( 51), as well as several reports on the occurrence of phosphatase in insects (chiefly histochemical studies) by Doyle ( '48), Day ( '49), and HQbert ( '50). Other than an earlier report by Rusnel and Drilhon ('45, '45a) that of Fitzgerald is one of the few thorough biochemical studies on this enzyme in insects. 'This investigation was supported in part by funds provided for biological a Research assistant. and medical research by the State of Washington Initiative Measure no. 171. The authors are indebted t o Mr. Leonard Levine for his invaluable technical assistance in M e completion of the final set of determinations, as well as for his assistance with the line drawings.
Contribution from the Laboratories of Zoophysiology.