Contact chemoreception in the mosquito, Culiseta inornata (Williston); Sensitivity of the tarsi and labella to sucrose and glucose

Feir, Dorothy; Lengy, J.; Owen, William B.

doi:10.1016/0022-1910(61)90087-7

Cited by 23 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…But many workers [1,3,4,11,13,15] have found only double-chambered hairs, and some of these workers have concluded that all aboral hairs beyond a certain length (e.g. 32 m in C. inornata as reported by Owen [3]) are chemosensory.…”

Section: Long Labellar Hairsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Results from behavioral studies have indicated that mosquito labellar hairs are sensitive to water, sugar solutions and unacceptable compounds [1][2][3][4][15][16][17][18]. Electrophysiological studies have also shown that these hairs are stimulated by water, sugar, and NaCl [5,15,19].…”

Section: Medium-sized Hairsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…32 m in C. inornata as reported by Owen [3]) are chemosensory. Consequently behavioral [1,3,4,15] and electrophysiological studies [15,19] were conducted on the long labellar hairs. However, Pearson [12] using electrophysiological methods found that long labellar hairs are very sensitive to minute mechanical deflections which normally result in proboscis extension.…”

Section: Long Labellar Hairsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gustatory discrimination after the mosquito has landed on a host may be a function of the tarsal hairs. Tarsal chemosensory hairs have been reported in different species of mosquitoes [1][2][3][4][5][6]. In probing to find a suitable spot for feeding, the mosquito uses the two labellar lobes located at the tip of the long, gutter-like labium [7][8][9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…they were not comprehensive. Behavioral [1][2][3][4][14][15][16][17][18] and electrophysiological studies [5,12,15,19] were carried out to elucidate the function of the labellar hairs. However, functional studies of the labellar hairs were conducted mostly on limited types of hair.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fine Structure of the Sense Organs on the Labella and Labium of the Mosquito Aedes aegypti (L.)

Lee¹,

Craig²

2009

TOENTOJ

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Fine structure of the sense organs on the labella and labium of male and female mosquito Aedes aegypti is described. Labellar hair on the outside of the two labellar lobes are consisted of long mechanoreceptive hairs, medium-sized chemoreceptive hairs containing 3-5 dendrites, and short papillae which are probably olfactory receptors. Two apical hairs each containing five dendrites not reported before are found deeply embedded inside each labellum. They emerged between folds at the tip of the labellum. These and other sensory hairs on the outside of the labella are probably involved in finding a suitable place for feeding after a mosquito has landed on a host. Six anteriorly directed papillae each containing 3-5 dendrites are found on the oral surface of each labellar lobe with no evidence of mechanoreceptors associated with these papillae. These papilla are probably chemosensory and are involved in detecting the food entering the food canal when a mosquito feed on water and other liquid diet such as nectar. A chordotonal organ with two sensory cells is found inside each labellum, and this organ has not been described on mosquito mouthparts before. These chordotonal organs probably function to monitor the spreading and closing of the labellar lobes during feeding. Mosquito spread their labellar lobes when feeding on water and sugar but these lobes are firmly pressed against each other when they feed on blood. Ligular hairs are definitely not sensory because of a lack any dendrites inside these hairs. Labial hairs proximal to the labella are probably mechanoreceptors because only one nerve cell is associated with each hair with nerve terminating at the base of the hair. Based on results from behavioral and functional studies, the function of these sensilla during feeding is described.

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Section: Long Labellar Hairsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Medium-sized Hairsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Long Labellar Hairsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fine Structure of the Sense Organs on the Labella and Labium of the Mosquito Aedes aegypti (L.)

Lee¹,

Craig²

2009

TOENTOJ

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Behavioral studies of inhibition and integration in the mosquito Culiseta inornata (Williston)

Owen¹

1967

J. Exp. Zool.

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A study was made of the interaction in the central nervous system of sensory input arising from the simultaneous application of opposing stimuli to receptors on the tarsi and labella of the mosquito. Stimulating chemosensory hairs on the tarsi with 5 M NaCl failed to inhibit the labellar response to sucrose at concentrations above 0.125 M. At lower sucrose concentrations there was a decrease in the number of mosquitoes responding. The application of 5 M NaCl to the tarsal receptors elevated the labellar threshold for sucrose in all subjects tested. This influence of the salt was expressed whether acting on the tarsi in an ipsilateral or contralateral manner. Stimulating the tarsal hairs with 2 M sucrose resulted in a labellar response to NaCl at concentrations of 0.50 M and lower. Ordinarily NaCl is rejected at all concentrations by this mosquito. Evidence was obtained which indicated that the labellar response to NaCl was mediated by the water receptor rather than by the salt receptor.The presence of contact chemoreceptor organs on the tarsi and labella of the mosquito provides a convenient means of investigating central nervous system inhibition and integration. Under appropriate circumstances, stimulation of chemosensory hairs on the tarsi with sucrose elicits the proboscis response and, likewise, the same stimulus applied to the labellar hairs evokes the labellar response (Frings and Hamrum, '50; Feir et al., '61). In contrast with these results, the application of NaCl to groups of chemosensory hairs on either of these organs will not elicit a feeding response (Owen, unpublished). At high concentrations NaCl acts as a strong rejection stimulus and, conversely, sucrose is highly stimulating as an acceptable material. The interaction in the central nervous system of sensory input arising from simultaneous application of these two opposing stimuli to sensory hairs on the tarsi and labella was the basis of this study.Much that is known about inhibition in insects has been learned from studies of the taste receptors of the blowfly, P h m i a regina. Dethier ('53) reported that NaCl, HCI and propanol could act either ipsilaterally or contralaterally in preventing the proboscis response to sucrose. He also demonstrated that the prevention of proboscis extension to both water and sucrose by unacceptable compounds was predom-J. EXP. ZOOL., 166: 301306.inantly a central nervous system phenomenon. It was also noted by Dethier ('55) that when unacceptable compounds were mixed with sucrose and applied to the tarsi of the blowfly the rejection thresholds increased as the sugar concentration was increased. Arab ('59) found that brief stimulation of a few chemosensory tarsal hairs of the blowfly with 2 M NaCl resulted in an immediate rise in the threshold of the labellar hairs for sucrose. Furthermore, he noted that the central excitatory state of a hungry fly could be raised by brief stimulation of its tarsi with 1 M sucrose. Dethier et al. ('66) demonstrated that for a hungry fly which is water satiated, stimul...

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Functional units in the labellar chemosensory hairs of the mosquito Culiseta inornata (Williston)

1974

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Diqm i tm en 1 or Zoology in d PhysioZuyy L'ni u er5it-y uf W y o nzz izy , LtLl-clm I e, ~7yoV17?Lq atid Drpui trrierLt uf Eiito?noloqy, L'nzv6,rslty of I l h o z s ,Electron micrographs of the labellar chemosensory hairs of the mosquito show that these sensilla have either three or four dendrites extending the length of the shaft. A t the tip of each hair is a circular pore. The dendrites are enclosed within a scolopoid structure. At the distal end of the dendrites the microtubules are arranged in a random manner, but, in the proximal 'area, they are grouped into nine pairs. Near the base the pairs assume a spiral pattern giving rise to a three-compartmented structure which forms the root proper.Action potentials were recorded from the hairs, using NaCl at coiicentrations of 0.002 R.I to 1.0 31. Four different spikes were recognizedwater and three salt. The salt spikes were labcled Types a, b, arid c. None of these is identical with the I, spikc from the blowfly. All four spikes were recorded from some hairs which were certainly those with four dendrites.Behavioral studies demonstrated that the rcjcction threshold of NaCl for labellar hairs was 0.28 M. This coincidcs with a rapid increase in the electrical activity of the Type c salt cell. From behavioral and elcctrophysiological evidence it was concluded that acceptance by Cidisetu of NaCl in aqueous soluiion is the result of activity of the water rcceptor plus input from the salt receptors Types a and b, and that rejection i.esults from activity of thc Type c salt cell. Supported by Research grant AI-00931-15, U. S. Public Hcalth Scrvice awarded to William B. Owen and by AFOSR grant 71-206.4 awarded to Joscph R. T,ai-sen. Present addresb: Departmerit of Zoology and Entomology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. Colorado 80521. 8 Some of t h c s e d a t a submitted to t h e G r a d u a t e School, University of Wyoming by the j u n i o r author foi the M.S. degree. 235

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Contact chemoreception in the mosquito, Culiseta inornata (Williston); Sensitivity of the tarsi and labella to sucrose and glucose

Cited by 23 publications

References 9 publications

Fine Structure of the Sense Organs on the Labella and Labium of the Mosquito Aedes aegypti (L.)

Fine Structure of the Sense Organs on the Labella and Labium of the Mosquito Aedes aegypti (L.)

Behavioral studies of inhibition and integration in the mosquito Culiseta inornata (Williston)

Functional units in the labellar chemosensory hairs of the mosquito Culiseta inornata (Williston)

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