Is the Sex Communication of Two Pyralid Moths, Plodia interpunctella and Ephestia kuehniella, under Circadian Clock Regulation?

Abstract

Females of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella, and females of the Mediterranean flour month, Ephestia kuehniella (both Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), exhibit daily rhythms in calling behavior. The peak in P. interpunctella calling occurs at dusk, whereas E. kuehniella calls preferentially at dawn. This behavior turned arrhythmic in P. interpunctella females in constant darkness (DD) and remained arrhythmic in constant light (LL), whereas E. kuehniella females showed a persistent rhythm in DD and suppression of the behavior in LL, indicating regulation by a circadian clock mechanism. The rhythm of male locomotor activity corresponded well with the sexual activity of females, reaching the peak at dusk in P. interpunctella and at dawn in E. kuehniella. An immunohistochemical study of the pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide, corazonin, and pigment dispersing factor revealed distinct sets of neurons in the brain-subesophageal complex and in the neurohemal organs of the 2 species.

Expression of Clock Genes period and timeless in the Central Nervous System of the Mediterranean Flour Moth, Ephestia kuehniella

“…Our previous study (Zavodska et al, 2012) described locomotor activity of wild-type E. kuehniella adults under 3 different photoperiods. Since eye pigments complicate subsequent molecular and immunohistochemical procedures, we have examined whether the eye mutant E. kuehniella strain possesses a functional circadian clock by characterizing 3 different rhythmic behaviors: larval hatching, adult eclosion, and adult locomotor activity.…”

“…Locomotor activity, measured in males, was bimodal, with a first peak after lights-off and a second peak at the end of the dark phase (Zavodska et al, 2012). Female calling behavior showed a peak with maximum at the end of the scotophase, slowly declining during the photophase.…”

“…Our previous observations indicate that the locomotor activity of Ephestia males has a clear circadian character (Zavodska et al, 2012). The Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella (Pyralidae, clade Obtectomera), represents a phylogenetically less divergent lepidopteran species compared to the other lepidopterans (clade Macrolepidoptera) that are under molecular investigation of the circadian clock.…”

Diel behaviour and time budget of the adult pine weevil Hylobius abietis

“…For example, females of different pyralid moth species call (release pheromones) during the beginning or end of the dark phase (Zavodska et al. , ), which are common periods of high insect activity (Danilevsky et al. , ).…”

Functions of corazonin and histamine in light entrainment of the circadian pacemaker in the Madeira cockroach,Rhyparobia maderae

“…The immunoreactive cells in the pars lateralis found in R. maderae are clearly homologs of corazonin‐expressing lateral neurosecretory cells described in Allonemobius allardi, Apis mellifera, Athalia rosae, Arge nigrinodosa, Blattela germanica, Blatta bisignata, Bombyx mori, Ctenolepsima lineate, Dianemobius nigrofasciatus, Ephestia kuehniella, Galleria mellonella, Locusta migratoria, Manduca sexta, Oxya yezoensis, P. americana, Plodia interpunctella, Pyrrhocoris apterus , and Schistocerca gregaria as well as in the flies D. melanogaster, D. simulans, D. errecta, Phormia terraenovae , and Protophormia terraenovae (Cantera et al, ; Schoofs et al, ; Hansen et al, ; Roller et al, ; Hamanaka et al, ; Choi et al, ; Sehadova et al, ; Wen and Lee, ; Zavodska et al, ). Results from highly sensitive ELISA experiments in combination with an HPLC approach in P. americana as well as in situ hybridizations in G. mellonella, D. melanogaster, D. simulans , and D. virils confirmed that these cells express authentic corazonin (Veenstra and Davis, ; Hansen et al, ; Choi et al, ).…”