asp^unspecified function is not essential for proliferation of germ cells during embryonic development and larval stages. 10 to 12 hours after puparium formation mutant ovarioles contain a reduced number of germline cells and there is little increase in the number of germline cells during pupal development. Mutant germaria have defective fusomes; some cystocytes contain spherical fusomes, and in other cases, branched fusomes which appear to be mispositioned are seen. Spindles are variable in the mutant germaria, ranging from very poorly organised to nearly normal. In addition, the overall organisation of the microtubule cytoskeleton is also affected. Most of the mutant germline cysts have less than the normal number of ring canals which are less ordered and more unevenly distributed than normal.