Relative growth of oocyte, nurse cells and follicular epithelium during oogenesis in the fly Sarcophaga ruficornis (Diptera).

The relative growth of the vitellarial components of Sarcophaga ruficornis, a flesh fly, is recorded both in linear dimensions and volumes for each of the 12 stages of their development. The oocyte grows enormously, up to 24,828 times initial volume, the oocyte nucleus during the same period increases 159 times initial volume. The nurse cells and follicular epithelial cells grow only during the previtellogenic stages and decline thereafter in the process of furnishing nourishment to the oocyte, ultimately becoming indistinct.