Abstract
The Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella, is a serious pest of stored grains worldwide. Presently, the best effective control against the moth is to disrupt the sexual communication between sexes. Sexual communication in moths includes two processes in which females produce and release pheromones from the sex pheromone gland and males detect and respond to them with a relatively sophisticated olfactory system in their antennae. To better understand these processes, we studied the ultrastructure of antennal and ovipositor sensilla of S. cerealella and determined the location of the female sex pheromone gland. Seven types of antennal sensilla were identified on both sexes: sensilla trichodea, sensilla chaetica, sensilla coeloconica, sensilla styloconica, sensilla auricillica, sensilla squamiformia and Bӧhm bristles. Of these sensilla, the sensilla trichodea were significantly more abundant on male antennae than on those of females, suggesting that these sensilla may detect the sex pheromones. On the ovipositor, only sensilla chaetica of various lengths were found. The sexual gland was an eversible sac of glandular epithelium that was situated dorsally in the intersegmental membrane between the 8th and 9th abdominal segments. These results will lead to a better understanding of mate finding with sex pheromones for this worldwide pest species.
Highlights
The Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella, is a serious pest of stored grains worldwide
The dorsal surface was covered with tile-shaped scales, and only a few sensilla chaetica and sensilla squamiformia located among the scales (Figs 2g and 3h)
Sexual communication plays an important role in the mating behaviours of moths for reproduction[17]
Summary
The Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella, is a serious pest of stored grains worldwide. Sexual communication in moths includes two processes in which females produce and release pheromones from the sex pheromone gland and males detect and respond to them with a relatively sophisticated olfactory system in their antennae. To better understand these processes, we studied the ultrastructure of antennal and ovipositor sensilla of S. cerealella and determined the location of the female sex pheromone gland. The sexual gland was an eversible sac of glandular epithelium that was situated dorsally in the intersegmental membrane between the 8th and 9th abdominal segments These results will lead to a better understanding of mate finding with sex pheromones for this worldwide pest species. Using SEM, histology and gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS), the morphology and location of the female sex pheromone gland were determined
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