External morphology and developmental changes of tarsal tips and mouthparts of the invasive spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae).

Alina Avanesyan,William O Lamp,Timothy K Maugel,Michael Schubert

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0226995

Alina Avanesyan, William O Lamp + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0226995

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Journal: PloS one	Publication Date: Dec 26, 2019
Citations: 15	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Maryland, College Park

Abstract

External structures of insects contribute to the ability of herbivores to select and feed on their host plants. The invasive spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae) is an economically important and polyphagous insect pest in the eastern US. The lanternfly causes substantial damage to many woody plants by sucking phloem sap, reducing photosynthesis, causing weeping wounds, and creating conditions for sooty mold. Lanternfly nymphs switch host plants during their development. However, little is known about relationship between the lanternfly and its plant hosts, and particularly about morphological adaptations of the lanternfly to host plant usage at each developmental stage of the pest. In this study, we focused on assessing changes in morphology of (a) the lanternfly mouthparts (stylets and labium), and (b) the lanternfly tarsal tips (arolia and tarsal claws) at each developmental stage. Our study revealed several developmental patterns among which the presence of the indentations on mandibular stylets in late instars and adults, as well as the exponential growth of the labium and stylet length, and the tarsal claw dispersal during the lanternfly development. Our findings are critical for investigating and predicting the lanternfly host range, and the lanternfly dispersal to new host trees at each developmental stage.

Highlights

In natural ecosystems, insect herbivores display a wide range of adaptations to their host plants, as well as diverse feeding behavior
In this study we focused on the emerging invasive insect herbivore, the spotted lanternfly, and described the external morphology of its mouthparts and tarsi at electron microscopical level and in relation to the lanternfly extensive host usage
We investigated the external morphology of the mouthparts and tarsal tips using a total of 70 and 42 individual insects at various developmental stages

Summary

Introduction

Insect herbivores display a wide range of adaptations to their host plants, as well as diverse feeding behavior. On the one hand, such diversity in feeding habits reflects the diversity in insect herbivore diet, i.e. the diversity in their host plants (e.g. plant chemistry, plant mechanical traits, etc.) [1]. Insect herbivore diversity has a strong impact on plant diversity, primary production, and it influences other ecosystem processes, such as nutrient cycling [2]. Form and function of insect herbivore mouthparts, as well as insect ability to attach to their hosts, create the potential for consuming plant tissue, as well as provide a line of defense for host plants to protect themselves.

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