Research on Morphology and Sensorimotor Systems of Insect Antennae

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Zoology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 441

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Beijing 100093, China
Interests: honeybee; olfaction; learning and memeory; foraging behavior; swarming behavior

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Antennae play a vital role in an insect’s life. Antennae help insects assess the quality of their environment and select suitable habitats, find food and potential mates, and detect approaching predators or threats. Insect antennae are crucial olfactory organs. They are equipped with a variety of olfactory sensilla that can detect a wide range of chemical compounds in the environment. How the different sensory inputs (olfactory, mechanical, thermal, etc.) from the antennae are combined and processed in the insect's nervous system to generate appropriate behavioral responses. Insects also use antennal-based sensory information for navigation, such as following odor trails or using environmental odors as landmarks. Additionally, in the context of biological control, understanding the olfactory cues that attract beneficial insects, such as parasitoids or predators of pests, can help in developing strategies to enhance their effectiveness. For pollinators, understanding their olfactory preferences can aid in the conservation of pollinator-friendly habitats and the design of attractants to improve pollination efficiency.

Dr. Lifeng Meng
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • antennae structure
  • sensilla
  • olfaction
  • olfactory receptors
  • sensory integration
  • antenna lobe
  • pheromones
  • predator avoidance
  • foraging behavior

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 13760 KB  
Article
Transcriptome Screening and Identification of Chemosensory Genes in the Goji Berry Psyllid, Bactericera gobica (Hemiptera: Psyllidae)
by Zhanghui Liu, Yang Ge, Zekun Zhang, Jiayi Liang, Chuanzhi Kang, Chengcai Zhang, Kang Chen, Xiufu Wan, Liu Zhang, Wangpeng Shi and Honghao Chen
Biology 2025, 14(8), 1105; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14081105 - 21 Aug 2025
Viewed by 248
Abstract
Goji berry is widely consumed worldwide and holds substantial market value, yet its cultivation faces significant threats from the goji berry psyllid (Bactericera gobica). Chemosensory-related genes play critical roles in regulating insect behaviors, which makes them key molecular targets for the [...] Read more.
Goji berry is widely consumed worldwide and holds substantial market value, yet its cultivation faces significant threats from the goji berry psyllid (Bactericera gobica). Chemosensory-related genes play critical roles in regulating insect behaviors, which makes them key molecular targets for the development of environmentally friendly pest control strategies. However, chemosensory genes in B. gobica have not been previously identified or characterized. In this study, we sequenced transcriptomes from the antennae and body tissues of male and female B. gobica and annotated genes associated with chemosensory functions. We identified 15 odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), 18 chemosensory proteins (CSPs), 3 sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs), 26 odorant receptors (ORs), 8 gustatory receptors (GRs), and 32 ionotropic receptors (IRs). Transcriptome data and a quantitative real-time PCR confirmed the tissue-specific expression patterns of these genes, with several genes, including three BgobOBPs, eight BgobCSPs, one BgobOR, two BgobGRs, and two BgobIR, highly expressed in the antennae, suggesting their role in olfactory recognition. BgobGR1 was most highly expressed among GRs, indicating its important role in gustatory perception. We also identified gene BgobGR5 with differential expression patterns between females and males. Our study represents the first characterization of chemosensory genes in a Bactericera species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Morphology and Sensorimotor Systems of Insect Antennae)
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