Abstract
The anatomical organization of distinct regions in the insect brain often reflects their functions. In the present study, the brain structure of Apolygus lucorum was examined by using immunolabeling and three-dimensional reconstruction. The results revealed the location and volume of prominent neuropils, such as the antennal lobes (AL), optic lobes (OL), anterior optic tubercles (AOTU), central body (CB), lateral accessory lobes (LAL), mushroom lobes, and distinct tritocerebral neuropils. As expected, this brain is similar to that of other insects. One exception, however, is that the antennal lobes were found to be the most prominent neuropils. Their size relative to the entire brain is the largest among all insect species studied so far. In contrast, the calyx, a region getting direct input from the antennal lobe, has a smaller size relative to the brain than that of other species. These findings may suggest that olfaction plays an essential role for A. lucorum.
Highlights
Like other brains, the insect brain is the association center for receiving sensory input, processing the information, and generating commands to control the behavior (Chapman, 1998)
We examined the brain composition of A. lucorum by performing immunolabeling and threedimensional (3D) reconstruction
The anti-synapsin immunolabeling shows the brain of A. lucorum containing the protocerebrum (PR), deutocerebrum (DE), tritocerebrum, and GNG (Xie et al, 2016b)
Summary
The insect brain is the association center for receiving sensory input, processing the information, and generating commands to control the behavior (Chapman, 1998). Behavioral and sensory adaptations to the environments of diverse insect species are often reflected in the brain in the form of volumetric varied neuropil structures (Molina et al, 2009; Mysore et al, 2009; Ott and Rogers, 2010; O’Donnell et al, 2011). Brain anatomies of insects from different taxa have been examined, including cockroaches, locusts, bugs, aphids, beetles, moths, butterflies, flies, bees, ants, and wasps. Diurnal butterflies possess a brain including large optic lobes (OLs) whereas the corresponding visual center in the brain of nocturnal moths is relatively small (Montogomery and Ott, 2015). The requirement for caste-specific behaviors in bees, ants, and wasps is mirrored in distinct brain regions (Molina et al, 2009; Mysore et al, 2009; O’Donnell et al, 2011)
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