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Insects
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Insect Sensory Biology—2nd Edition
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Insect Sensory Biology—2nd Edition

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Physiology, Reproduction and Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 2902

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Vonnie Shields

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Biological Sciences Department, Fisher College of Science and Mathematics, Towson University, Towson, MD, USA
Interests: anatomy and physiology of gustatory and olfactory sense organs; insect plant interactions; insect chemical ecology and behavior
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Milos Sevarika

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy
Interests: insects functional morphology; sensilla; electron microscopy; ultrastructure

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Insects are among the most successful organisms on Earth, mainly due to their highly sophisticated sensory systems. Over the course of evolution, they have acquired diverse sensory modalities that are finely tuned to meet ecological challenges. These sensory modalities are expressed to varying degrees across different taxa, showing adaptations to distinct ecological niches and enabling them to exploit a wide variety of sensory cues. Sensory systems mediate fundamental processes in insect life, such as mating, foraging, and predator avoidance; however, they also shape how insects interact with other organisms in ecosystems.

Understanding insect sensory biology is essential for uncovering the mechanisms of species adaptation. Morphological differences in sensory structures have profound effects on behavioural, ecological, and evolutionary outcomes. This Special Issue aims to advance knowledge of insect sensory systems by gathering works across multiple levels of investigation, from anatomical, physiological, molecular, and neuroanatomical studies to behavioural and ecological examinations. We particularly encourage the submission of works that highlight interspecific differences and connect morphological adaptations of sensory structures with insect behaviour, ecology, or evolutionary trajectories. Studies employing innovative methodologies and integrative approaches are especially welcome.

This Special Issue builds on previous publications of “Insect Sensory Biology” (which feature more than 30 published papers).

Prof. Dr. Vonnie Shields
Dr. Milos Sevarika
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • insects
  • behaviour
  • ultrastructure
  • neurobiology
  • physiology
  • sensory integration

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 15887 KB  
Article
Morphology of the Larval Antennae and Mouthparts in Conogethes punctiferalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) with Special Reference to Sensilla
by Chao Yue, Shang Shi, Yaqian Shi, Peiyu Chen, Ting Lei and Na Ma
Insects 2026, 17(3), 345; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17030345 - 21 Mar 2026
Viewed by 211
Abstract
The yellow peach moth, Conogethes punctiferalis, is a destructive polyphagous pest and poses a severe threat to the fruit industry and field crops worldwide with its continuously increasing population and expanding host range in recent years. Despite the severe damage caused by [...] Read more.
The yellow peach moth, Conogethes punctiferalis, is a destructive polyphagous pest and poses a severe threat to the fruit industry and field crops worldwide with its continuously increasing population and expanding host range in recent years. Despite the severe damage caused by C. punctiferalis larvae, their antennae and mouthparts, equipped with abundant sensilla responsible for feeding behavior, have not been investigated in detail. In our study, the antennae, mouthparts, and associated sensilla of first-instar and mature larvae of C. punctiferalis were examined with light and scanning electron microscopy. Our results revealed no obvious morphological differences between the two instars in the basic composition of the antennae and mouthparts, or in the types, distribution, and numbers of sensilla. The antenna is three-segmented, with no sensilla on the scape, three sensilla basiconica and two sensilla chaetica on the pedicel, and three sensilla basiconica and one sensillum styloconicum on the flagellum. The mouthparts of C. punctiferalis are typically mandibulate and consist of a labrum-epipharynx, paired mandibles, a pair of maxillae, a labium, and a hypopharynx. Six types of sensilla were primarily concentrated on the labrum-epipharynx, maxilla, and labial palp, including sensilla chaetica, sensilla basiconica, sensilla styloconica, sensilla digitiformia, sensilla epipharyngea, and sensilla placodea. We conducted a systematic analysis of the characteristics of sensilla and discussed their variation in the context of Lepidoptera phylogeny. The potential functions of the sensilla have also been inferred. The study could advance our understanding of the behavioral ecology of C. punctiferalis and provide potentially useful information on the development of pest control technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Sensory Biology—2nd Edition)
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12 pages, 7589 KB  
Article
Anatomy and Ultrastructural Details of the Compound Eyes of the Pear Psyllid, Cacopsylla chinensis (Yang et Li) (Hemiptera: Psyllidae)
by Hongfan Ran, Min Li, Yiping Niu, Aihong Ma and Xiaofan Yang
Insects 2026, 17(3), 287; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17030287 - 6 Mar 2026
Viewed by 443
Abstract
The compound eye of the family Psyllidae (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha) remains one of the least studied among hemipteran insects. Among the approximately 4000 psyllid species worldwide, the pear psyllid Cacopsylla chinensis (Yang et Li) is a major pest of pear trees in China. The [...] Read more.
The compound eye of the family Psyllidae (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha) remains one of the least studied among hemipteran insects. Among the approximately 4000 psyllid species worldwide, the pear psyllid Cacopsylla chinensis (Yang et Li) is a major pest of pear trees in China. The ultrastructure of the compound eye of adult C. chinensis was investigated using a transmission electron microscope (n = 12 adult). The eyes are of the apposition type, lacking a clear zone. Each ommatidium features a laminated corneal lens (about 16.9 ± 1.7 μm in diameter and 7.6 ± 1.7 μm in thickness), a eucone crystalline cone, a centrally fused rhabdom formed by eight retinula cells (R1–R8), and both primary and secondary pigment cells. The 57.0 ± 3.6 μm long rhabdom exhibits a two-tiered structure: a distal region comprising R1-R7 and a proximal region composed of R1-R6 and R8, with R7 withdrawing. Throughout this structure, the rhabdomeres of R1-R6 contribute continuously along the entire length, while R7 and R8 are restricted to the distal and proximal regions, respectively. The microvilli of the rhabdom are arranged in two orthogonal directions. Based on the similarity between the compound eye of C. chinensis and those of other diurnal hemipterans, the evolution and function of eyes are briefly discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Sensory Biology—2nd Edition)
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10 pages, 2091 KB  
Article
Central Projections of Antennal Sensory Neurons in the Aphid Myzus persicae
by Baiwei Ma, Jing Li, Feiyue Ding, Xi Chu, Xiaoyan Zhu, Shuai Liu, Guirong Wang, Qi Chen and Bingzhong Ren
Insects 2026, 17(3), 249; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17030249 - 27 Feb 2026
Viewed by 460
Abstract
The aphid Myzus persicae is an important agricultural pest relying on olfactory cues to find food and escape from predators. The considerable difficulty of anatomical manipulation and other related technical challenges may underlie the absence of studies systematically mapping the central projections of [...] Read more.
The aphid Myzus persicae is an important agricultural pest relying on olfactory cues to find food and escape from predators. The considerable difficulty of anatomical manipulation and other related technical challenges may underlie the absence of studies systematically mapping the central projections of antennal sensory neurons in its central nervous system. We used mass stain, immunohistochemistry, laser scanning confocal microscope and three-dimensional reconstruction techniques to trace the central projections of sensory neurons from the antennae. The ipsilateral antennal nerve targets mainly the antennal lobe, the antennal mechanosensory and motor center, and most neuromeres of the ventral nerve cord. There are also several axons that project to other regions, like the contralateral antennal lobe, the contralateral antennal nerve, the ipsilateral calyx and some region of the protocerebrum. The numerous neuropils innervated by axons from the antenna indicate the multiple roles that this sensory organ serves in insect behavior, and the results which provide information about the basic anatomical arrangement of the olfactory nervous system in aphid M. persicae may provide some basic knowledge for the further investigations of the aphid. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Sensory Biology—2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 2688 KB  
Article
Binding Mechanism of PsauPBP3 to Sex Pheromones in Peridroma saucia: Insights from Computational and Experimental Approaches
by Xiaoqian Yao, Shuai Chang, Mingshan Wang, Junfeng Dong, Shaoli Wang and Yalan Sun
Insects 2026, 17(2), 228; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17020228 - 22 Feb 2026
Viewed by 426
Abstract
The variegated cutworm Peridroma saucia Hübner, a recently emerged polyphagous pest in China’s Huang-Huai River Basin, uses sex pheromones (Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate (Z11-16: Ac) and (Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate (Z9-14: Ac) for mate finding. Insect pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs) serve as the primary filter for detecting specific [...] Read more.
The variegated cutworm Peridroma saucia Hübner, a recently emerged polyphagous pest in China’s Huang-Huai River Basin, uses sex pheromones (Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate (Z11-16: Ac) and (Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate (Z9-14: Ac) for mate finding. Insect pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs) serve as the primary filter for detecting specific sex pheromones. Although comprehensive functional analyses of PBPs exist, their binding mechanisms remain poorly characterized. In this study, we elucidated the binding properties and mechanisms of PsauPBP3 in sex pheromone recognition by computational and experimental approaches. PsauPBP3, predominantly expressed in male P. saucia antennae, showed high binding affinity for both Z11-16: Ac and Z9-14: Ac, as demonstrated by binding-free-energy calculations and fluorescence binding assays. Molecular dynamics simulations and docking studies identified five key residues (Thr-10, Phe-13, Ile-53, Ile-95, and Phe-119) that consistently interact with these pheromones, indicating their critical role in ligand binding. Computational alanine scanning further demonstrated that all five residues act as binding determinants, with Phe-13 and Ile-95 making particularly significant contributions to ligand affinity. The results were further validated by site-directed mutagenesis and fluorescence binding assays. This work provides insights into the function and binding mechanisms of PBPs in sex pheromone recognition and supports the development of targeted mating disruption strategies for P. saucia control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Sensory Biology—2nd Edition)
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22 pages, 4951 KB  
Article
Ultrastructural Analysis of Johnston’s Organ and Brain Organization in Philaenus spumarius (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae)
by Milos Sevarika, Christoph Kleineidam and Roberto Romani
Insects 2026, 17(1), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17010015 - 22 Dec 2025
Viewed by 998
Abstract
Insects rely on a variety of sensory cues for orientation, with antennae playing a central role in receiving and transmitting information about the environment. Philaenus spumarius (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae), a spittlebug and vector of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, has a reduced number of [...] Read more.
Insects rely on a variety of sensory cues for orientation, with antennae playing a central role in receiving and transmitting information about the environment. Philaenus spumarius (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae), a spittlebug and vector of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, has a reduced number of antennal sensilla, yet demonstrates effective multimodal communication through olfactory and vibrational signals. This study aimed to investigate how the simplified sensory system of P. spumarius relates to the primary neuropils of the brain. We examined the ultrastructural organization of Johnston’s organ using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, complemented by previous data on antennal sensilla. Brain organization was investigated by Micro-CT and confocal laser scanning microscopy, which enabled us to identify the primary neuropiles. In addition, we conducted antennal and single sensillum backfills to trace sensory neurons to the brain. Our findings provide insight into the adaptation of a simplified sensory system for effective communication and orientation in P. spumarius. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Sensory Biology—2nd Edition)
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