The insect ovipositor as a volatile sensor within a closed microcosm

Abstract

We show that the insect ovipositor is an olfactory organ that responds to volatiles and CO 2 in gaseous form. We demonstrate this phenomenon in parasitic wasps associated with Ficus racemosa where ovipositors, as slender as a human hair, drill through the syconium (enclosed inflorescences) and act as a guiding probe to locate highly specific egg-laying sites hidden inside. We hypothesize that olfaction will occur in the ovipositors of insects such as parasitic fig

Fifty years later, figs and their associated communities

“…(Yang et al 2018). Ovipositor morphology is another trait that correlates with life history in fig wasps (Ghara et al 2011, Elias et al 2018, and ovipositors can also act as olfactory organs (Yadav and Borges 2017).…”

Transcriptional comparison between pheromone gland-ovipositor and tarsi in the corn earworm moth Helicoverpa zea

“…Ozakim et al (2011) utilized RNAi to silence one GR from the foreleg tarsal sensilla of the butterfly, Papilio xuthus, indicating its role in identifying host plants for oviposition. The ovipositor also contains both olfactory and gustatory chemosensilla that are usually involved in detecting hosts for oviposition (Xia et al, 2015;Klinner et al, 2016;Yadav and Borges, 2017).…”

A short guide to insect oviposition: when, where and how to lay an egg

“…Although the role of some gustatory neurons located on the proboscis or the legs is well established (see below), the contribution of the ovipositor in oviposition site choice remains obscure in most species. The presence of chemosensory sensillae on the ovipositor of various species is indicated by the expression of chemoreceptor genes (odorant and gustatory receptors) (Glaser et al, 2013;Klinner et al, 2016) as well as the electrophysiological responses of some of these sensilla to various volatile or non-volatile molecules ((Klinner et al, 2016;Seada et al, 2016) and references therein; (Yadav and Borges, 2017)). For instance, four gustatory neurons types housed in sensilla on the ovipositor of the noctuid moth Spodoptera littoralis detect salt, caffeine, sugar, and water (Seada et al, 2016).…”

“…In particular, some of these neurons express the gustatory receptors (Gr) detecting CO2. The guiding sensory probing inside the fruit (Yadav and Borges, 2017).…”