16 cell vitellarial cysts cease to enlarge partway down the vitellarium and are eventually phagocytosed. Cyst production dynamics are normal. All 16 nuclei in a cyst enter meiosis; the chromatin condenses and synaptonemal complex is present. Later all 16 lose the synaptonemal complex and assume nurse cell characteristics. Cell shape changes within the cyst are normal as the cysts pass down the germarium. Synaptonemal complex is of normal width and is apparently normal in substructure, but throughout pachytene it maintains the extreme thinness typical of wild-type synaptonemal complex during zygotene. Most "pachytene" nuclei in egl mutant cysts have zygotene numbers of synaptonemal complex segments as well as zygotene thinness. The nuclei do mount both early and late recombination nodules, at normal positions within the germarium. Number of recombination nodules per nucleus is comparable to that in wild type pro-oocyte. The onset of cytoplasmic flow is delayed. In mid-vitellarium the 16 cells remain the same size. Ring canals frequently do not enlarge as much as they should, and are more likely to be lacking their inner lining than in wild type. The fusome is apparently normal. Centrioles and mitochondria orient normally. Centriole replication continues. Mitochondria indicate that the ring canals may be unusually difficult to pass through.

Fusomes are normal.

Double mutants with otu⁵ mutants display degenerate egg chambers, mutant phenotypes are cumulative. Double mutants with otu¹ display an otu¹ phenotype, otu¹ is epistatic over egl⁵.

Egg chambers contain 16 nurse cells and no oocyte, many egg chambers are degenerating.

Posterior localization of vas protein. Long chains of stage 6-like egg chambers.