Abstract
In heliothine moths, the male-specific olfactory system is activated by a few odor molecules, each of which is associated with an easily identifiable glomerulus in the primary olfactory center of the brain. This arrangement is linked to two well-defined behavioral responses, one ensuring attraction and mating behavior by carrying information about pheromones released by conspecific females and the other inhibition of attraction via signal information emitted from heterospecifics. The chance of comparing the characteristic properties of pheromone receptor proteins, male-specific sensory neurons and macroglomerular complex (MGC)-units in closely-related species is especially intriguing. Here, we review studies on the male-specific olfactory system of heliothine moths with particular emphasis on five closely related species, i.e., Heliothis virescens, Heliothis subflexa, Helicoverpa zea, Helicoverpa assulta and Helicoverpa armigera.
Highlights
Male and female moths are able to communicate over remarkably long distances [1]
H. assulta, it has been found that male-specific projection neurons tuned to each of the two pheromone components target an overlapping region in the lateral horn, whereas projection neurons carry interspecific signal information terminate in a smaller and partly distinct region (Figure 2C) [89]
Encoding mechanisms characterizing the male-specific pathway of heliothine moths are thoroughly studied both at the peripheral and central level
Summary
Male and female moths are able to communicate over remarkably long distances [1]. This sexual interaction is based on a few female-produced molecules being recognized by a distinct neural arrangement possessed by the male. Among the moths most extensively studied is a handful of the monophyletic subfamily, Heliothinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), consisting of more than 365 species distributed on all five continents [2] This group is especially interesting due to the fact that sympatric species use female-produced compounds for communication, within, and across, the species. In addition to the major component, one other constituent among the totally five-to-nine compounds emitted from the heliothine female is usually necessary as part of the pheromone blend for eliciting sexual behavior in conspecific males (Table 1) [5]. The addition of Z11-16:AC produced by H. subflexa females to the pheromone blend of H. virescens or H. zea has been shown to suppress upwind flight and source location in males of the two latter species [18,19,20]. Z9-14:AL as the second principal constituent of their respective pheromone blends [5,25]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call