How granivorous Coreus marginatus (Heteroptera: Coreidae) recognises its food

Abstract

Phytophagous insects select their host plant using multiple sensory modalities including vision, olfaction, gustation and mechanoreception. In the laboratory, we investigated the role of vision, olfaction and gustatory sense in the perception of cues released by seeds of different plant species in granivorous Coreus marginatus (Heteroptera: Coreidae). Juvenile insects were put in a choice arena and offered with different seeds on which they feed naturally (Polygonum, Rumex) and seeds which are not their natural food (Stellaria). Individual bugs were manipulated in one of three ways: 1. blackened compound eyes, 2. coated sensillae on antennae, 3. coated tip of labial pouch. Control individuals were not manipulated. The behaviour of each bug was observed for 12 h. Control bugs fed for a significantly longer time than manipulated ones. Individuals with any senses impaired fed on Stellaria, whereas, the control individuals ignored it. The results suggested that seed selection requires information from all three sensory organs: compound eyes, antennae and sensillae on labial pouch. Further research is required to unravel the importance of each sense for the seed selection.

Sensitivity of antennal gustatory receptor neurones to aphid honeydew sugars in the carabid Anchomenus dorsalis

“…In the carabid beetle P. oblongopunctatus , which predates on conifer seeds (Heikkilä, 1977; Nystrand & Granström, 2000), the high sensitivity of antennal GRNs to plant sugars and toxic compounds (quinine) allows the beetles to discriminate between edible and noxious seeds (Merivee et al , 2008; Milius et al , 2011). Using behavioural experiments in a choice arena, Pekár & Hrušková (2006) show that seed selection in the granivorous Coreus marginatus (Heteroptera: Coreidae) requires information from the compound eyes, the sensory organs on the antennae and the labial pouch. This would be in agreement with the observation that predatory Oechalia (Pentatomidae) use physical contact with antennae to find caterpillars of Heliothis punctigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) (Awan et al , 1989).…”

A Cretaceous bug with exaggerated antennae might be a double-edged sword in evolution

“…Taxonomic status of the nymph specimen preserved in amber 35 The extremely extended and oversized antennae distinguish the new coreid from all 36 other previously known fossil and extant species, even based only on the single nymph 37 available to us. In addition to the Coreinae, the Coreidae includes three other 38 subfamilies.…”

“…Fossil representatives are relatively common in Tertiary strata, being known 30 from Eocene strata of the United States (Cockerell, 1909;Scudder, 1890); Oligocene 31 rocks of France (Théobald, 1937), Germany (Heyden, 1858; Statz and Wagner, 1950); 32 Miocene strata of China (Hong et al, 1983;Hong and Wang, 1987;Zhang, 1989; Zhang 33 et al, 1994; Zhang and Zhang, 1990), Croatia (Heer, 1853) and Germany (Heer, 1853); 34 and Pliocene rocks of France (Piton, 1935). Yuripopovina magnifica of family 35 Yuripopovinidae is the oldest known specimen of the superfamily Coreoidea preserved 36 in the Cretaceous Lebanese amber (Azar et al, 2011). So far, four species of the family 37 Coreidae have been described from the Cretaceous rock impressions, all of which do 38 not have expanded antennae (Database, 2018).…”

“…11 Heteropteran nymphs generally have five instars, which typically resemble adults in 12 their morphological appearance and living environment, except that they are generally 13 much smaller and softer than adults, they have paired scent glands located on the dorsal 14 abdomen, and the number of tarsal segments is one less than that of adults (Panizzi and 31 32 Antennal expansion and long-distance chemical communication 33 Antennal specialization plays a vital role in the adaptive evolution of coreids. The 34 family Coreidae have the expansive antennae, which are relatively common (uniform 35 and slight expansion of all antennal segments or partially segment, alternatively, only 36 obvious expansion occurs on the third antennal segment) in living insects (Fig. 5).…”

“…4 nov. were most likely used for sexual display, and the nymph would have developed 5 into an adult. The exaggerated antennae may have borne a large number of olfactory 6 receptors, enabling the animal to locate females over long distances and providing a 7 basis for sexual display behavior (Pekár and Hrušková, 2006). Interestingly, expanded 8 antennae have been found in both ancient lace-bugs and extant leaf-footed bugs as well 9 as in M. wuae gen. et sp.…”