Morphological characterization and sexual dimorphism of the antennal sensilla in Bactericera gobica Loginova (Hemiptera: Psyllidae)-a scanning and transmission electron microscopic study

Yang Ge; Olivia M Smith; Weilin Chen; Pingping Liu; Qingjun Yuan; Chuanzhi Kang; Tielin Wang; Jiahui Sun; Binbin Yan; Xiaoli Liu; Lanping Guo

doi:10.7717/peerj.12888

Morphological characterization and sexual dimorphism of the antennal sensilla in Bactericera gobica Loginova (Hemiptera: Psyllidae)-a scanning and transmission electron microscopic study

PeerJ. 2022 Feb 15:10:e12888. doi: 10.7717/peerj.12888. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Yang Ge¹, Olivia M Smith², Weilin Chen³, Pingping Liu⁴, Qingjun Yuan¹, Chuanzhi Kang¹, Tielin Wang¹, Jiahui Sun¹, Binbin Yan¹, Xiaoli Liu⁵, Lanping Guo¹

Affiliations

¹ National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Dao-di Herbs, Beijing, China.
² Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America.
³ Pharmacy Faculty, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, China.
⁴ Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of High Technology for Plant Protection, Guangzhou, China.
⁵ Plant Protection Research Institute, Ningxia Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Science, Ningxia, China.

Abstract

Bactericera gobica is the major pest of Goji berry plants and causes severe damage. Psyllids mainly use the antennal sensilla to recognize olfactory cues necessary to find host plants and mates. However, the structure and function of the antenna and the antennal sensilla of B. gobica remains previously unexplored. Here, we identify the external and internal morphology of the antennal sensilla of B. gobica using both scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We found seven types of sensilla on the filiform antennae, including apical setae (LAS, SAS), sensilla basiconica (SB1, SB2), sensilla campaniform (SCA), sensilla chaetica (ChS1, ChS2), cavity sensilla (CvS1, CvS2), antennal rhinaria (AR1, AR2), and sensilla trichodea (ST). Five of these sensilla types-apical setae, sensilla basiconica, sensilla chaetica, cavity sensilla, and antennal rhinaria-may have olfactory functions based on their porous surfaces and internal dendritic outer segments (DOS). We also found several differences between the two sexes of B. gobica in the sensilla array and internal structure. ChS and DOS in the protrusions of AR were more abundant in males than females. Altogether, we comprehensively revealed the fine structure and probable function of B. gobica antennae and identified differences in the distribution and structure between psyllid sexes. Our findings provide important insights for future studies on defining the olfactory function of psyllid antenna using electrophysiological methods.

Keywords: Bactericera gobica; Antennal sensilla; Olfaction; Psyllidae; Scanning electron microscopy (SEM); Sex dimorphism; Transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Electrons
Female
Hemiptera* / ultrastructure
Male
Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
Sensilla* / anatomy & histology
Sex Characteristics

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Public Welfare Research Institutes (project: ZZ14-YQ-048 & ZZXT202009), the Development of application technology of attractant and control agent for agricultural piercing and sucking pests in Ningxia (Project: NGSB-2021-10-02), and the Scientific and technological innovation project of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences(Project: CI2021A03906). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.