The egg laying rate is reduced to approximately two-thirds of normal in hemizygous females. Embryos derived from homozygous females rarely progress beyond the 64 nuclei stage. Embryos derived from hemizygous females are usually arrested at the 16 nuclei stage or earlier, and development occurs more slowly than in wild-type embryos. The embryos contain large nuclei that are erratically distributed and show mitotic asynchrony. The nuclei may be joined by bridges. Yolk nuclei are less uniformly distributed than wild-type and tend to be clumped and channelled along the antero-posterior axis. The nuclei reach the surface of the embryo in 30% of the embryos. The pattern of the nuclei at the surface of the embryo is generally abnormal. Spindles are frequently abnormal in parts of embryos lacking surface nuclei. Centrosomal division is often asynchronous and small tracts of centrosomes and asters without visible nuclei are common in embryos that reach blastoderm. The endochorion has fewer pillars than normal. The mutant phenotype is not paternally rescued. Homozygous larval neuroblast chromosome structure and mitotic indices are normal.

Eggs derived from homozygous females initiate development and cytoplasmic clearing occurs in a narrow zone around the egg periphery (in wild-type embryos this process is coupled to the arrival of the nuclei at the periphery). The eggs do not seem to develop beyond this stage; pole cells are not formed and cellularisation does not occur. However, about two hours after cytoplasmic clearing, the egg periphery starts to show local contractions, in what might be an attempt at gastrulation. These contractions eventually lead to eggs which typically have one or two condensed yolk balls surrounded by more transparent cytoplasm.