Carboxylesterases (CXEs) belong to a family of metabolic enzymes. Some CXEs act as odorant-degrading enzymes (ODEs), which are reportedly highly expressed in insect olfactory organs and participate in the rapid deactivation of ester pheromone components and plant volatiles. The tea geometrid Ectropis obliqua Prout produces sex pheromones consisting of non-ester functional compounds but relies h...

We provide a detailed analysis of the larval head chemosensory system of Drosophila melanogaster, based on confocal microscopy of cell-specific reporter gene expression in P[GAL4] enhancer trap lines. In particular, we describe the neuronal composition of three external and three pharyngeal chemosensory organs, the nerve tracts chosen by their afferents, and their central target regions. With a...

Comparative studies on antennal sensillar equipment in insects are largely lacking, despite their potential to provide insights into both ecological and phylogenetic relationships. Here we present the first comparative study on antennal morphology and sensillar equipment in female Cynipoidea (Hymenoptera), a large and diverse group of wasps, with special reference to the so-called gall-wasps (C...

Odorant-binding proteins were studied in the noctuid moths Agrotis segetum, Autographa gamma, Helicoverpa armigera, Heliothis virescens and Spodoptera littoralis using antisera raised against the pheromone-binding protein (PBP) and general odorant-binding protein 2 (GOBP2) of Antheraea polyphemus (Saturniidae). Proteins immunoreacting with these antisera were only found on the antennae and PBP ...

The initial steps of odorant recognition in the insect olfactory system involve odorant binding proteins (OBPs) and odorant receptors (ORs). While large families of OBPs have been identified in the malaria vector A. gambiae, little is known about their expression pattern in the numerous sensory hairs of the female antenna. We applied whole mount fluorescence in Situ hybridization (WM-FISH) and ...

Sensory neuron diversity is required for organisms to decipher complex environmental cues. In Drosophila, the olfactory environment is detected by 50 different olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) classes that are clustered in combinations within distinct sensilla subtypes. Each sensilla subtype houses stereotypically clustered 1-4 ORN identities that arise through asymmetric divisions from a single...

This paper presents a bio-inspired approach for the design of strain sensors embedded in space structures. Campaniform sensilla, which are natural strain sensors, are used by insects for monitoring deformations of their bodies. The strategy used in nature is to locally amplify, through arrays of elliptical micro-holes, mechanical deformations. The authors focused their research on campaniform s...

Eurydema dominulus (Scopoli), a phytophagous insect and pest of many plants. The external morphology the sensilla on wings were observed using scanning electron microscope. Based their morphological structure, different five types distinguished: trichoidea, chaetica, basiconica, campaniformia ampullacea. These can be related to have mechanosensory, chemosensory proprioceptive functions. possibl...

The complete structure of the anterior sensory nervous system of the small nematode C . elegans has been determined by reconstruction from serial section electronmicrographs. There are 58 neurons in the tip of the head. Fiftytwo of these are arranged in sensilla. These include six inner labial sensilla, six outer labial sensilla, four cephalic sensilla and two amphids. Each sensillum consists o...