Morphology and distribution of antennal sensilla of Automeris liberia (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)

Publication date: Available online 10 May 2019Source: MicronAuthor(s): Kelly Barbosa da Silva, Chryslane Barbosa da Silva, Karlos Antônio Lisboa Ribeiro Júnior, Jeniffer McLaine Duarte de Freitas, Johnnatan Duarte de Freitas, Gilson Sanchez Chia, Ricardo Salles Tinôco, João Gomes da Costa, Henrique Fonseca Goulart, Antônio Euzébio Goulart SantanaAbstractThe lepidopteran species Automeris liberia from the Saturniidae family is a polyphagous insect responsible for defoliating plants, such as the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jaquim). The antennae of insects play an important role in survival in various environments. Antennae are the main olfactory and sensory organs of insects and have different sensilla to detect chemical cues, movement, humidity and temperature. The olfactory structures present in the antennae are responsible for certain insect behavior, which is influenced by chemical communication. The morphology, distribution and location of the sensilla in the antennae of male and female A. liberia were investigated by scanning electron microscopy to understand the olfactory mechanisms relevant to insect-insect communication and insect-plant communication, among others. The results showed that the flagellum, scape and pedicel length and the number of antennomeres differed between the sexes and demonstrating the existence of sexual dimorphism in the antennae males (bipectinate) and females (filiform). According to the morphological data, seven types of sensilla were id...
Source: Micron - Category: Biology Source Type: research