ventral sexing of dwarf species

[Lisa Ashforth]

I couldn't sex my C. elegans from its last moult because it trashed it, and of course it was minute anyway. It's about 1 and a bit inches legspan now so presumably about as big as it's going to get. It's not a mature male. Anyone care to take a stab at sexing it ventrally (and yes I know it's not very reliable) I just want to know if I should start looking for a male or not

[Mrs Linda Street]

purely a guess, it could just be raised enough to be a female? are you certain that the moult was too small to sex it?

[Lisa Ashforth]

It was weeny Linda, and the abdominal area was all screwed up. I tried wetting it and unpicking it with a small needle, and even stuck it under my low power microscope, but it was too small to work with and eventually fell to bits!

[wayne balcombe]

Hi Lisa,

My best guess would be female.

[Lisa Ashforth]

I guess *very careful* introduction of a male would be the surest way of telling! If there is no response then I guess it's not a female

(I can't see any epiandrous fusillae in this picture)

[wayne balcombe]

(I can't see any epiandrous fusillae in this picture)

thats what i based my guess on Lisa, the pic is good enough quality to dicern epiandrous fusillae.