Morphological Correlates of Differences in Pheromone Sensitivity in Insect Sensilla
ROBERT J. O'CONNELL 1,
ALAN J. GRANT 1,
M. S. MAYER 2, and
R. W. MANKIN 2
1 Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts 01545
2 Insect Attractants, Behavior, and Basic Biology Research Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Gainesville, Florida 32604
Scanning electron microscopy and single unit recordings of male Trichoplusia ni antennae reveal at least two classes of pheromone-sensitive sensilla trichodea. The longer sensillum contains two receptor neurons each with small amounts of spontaneous activity. One neuron responds to large (10-microgram) doses of (Z)-7-dodecenyl acetate, a component of the female sex pheromone. The shorter sensillum contains two receptor neurons both with larger amounts of spontaneous activity and increased sensitivity to low (0.01-microgram) doses of pheromone.
Submitted on December 2, 1982
Revised on April 8, 1983
