Homozygous flies have a pleiotropic phenotype that includes an extreme reduction in body size, developmental delay (essentially due to a 4-5 day prolongation of the larval stage), defects in the abdominal cuticle, strong reduction in the length and thickness of abdominal bristles and reduced female fertility. Morphological abnormalities are seen in homozygous ovaries; some egg chambers beyond stage 7 of oogenesis degenerate, and fragmented or condensed nurse cell nuclei which are irregularly shaped are often seen in these egg chambers. Apoptosis occurs in the abnormal ovaries. Homozygous females lay a reduced number of mature eggs and approximately 15% of the embryos produced fail to hatch. These embryos show asynchronous and abnormal development, which is accompanied by diffuse apoptotic cell death.