Ultrastructure of sensory equipments on the heads of Kallitaxila granulata (Stål) (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Tropiduchidae)

Abstract

The polyphagous planthopper, Kallitaxila granulata (Stål) (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Tropiduchidae), has been recently introduced into southeastern China, the Philippine islands, and Hawaii, where it has done significant damage to agricultural and forest ecosystems. The external morphology of the heads of adult male and female K. granulata was examined using scanning electron microscopy. Seven types of sensilla were reported: trichoid sensilla and campaniform sensilla on the antennal pedicel, antennal scape and maxilla; plate organs on the antennal pedicel; coeloconic sensilla in Bourgoin's organ on the expanded flagellar base; ampullaceal sensilla on the antennal pedicel; wavy-pit sensilla on the antennal pedicel and antennal scape; and coin-shaped sensilla on each lateral side of the labium. Evans' organ was described as placoid sensilla sunk into shallow cuticular cavities below the antennae. The external morphology, distribution, and abundance of sensilla located on antennae, maxillae, and labium in K. granulata were illustrated, with a brief discussion of their taxonomic, phylogenetic, and putative functional significance.

Fine morphology of the antennae and mouthparts of Dentatissus damnosa (Chou & Lu) (Hemiptera: Issidae)

“…In D. damnosa, Ca were singly found on the distal rim of the scape and on the apical part of the pedicel; this form was also found in some planthoppers (Fu et al, 2012;Romani et al, 2009;Wang et al, 2012Wang et al, , 2013. Ca found near the junction of antennal segments are considered to be mechanoreceptors to respond to the stresses due to the movement of flagella and are probably involved in the perception of movement and position of the antennal segments (Bromley et al, 1980;Fu et al, 2012;Wang et al, 2012Wang et al, , 2013.…”

“…We are not certain if the decrease in the amount of small ridges is an evolutionary trend in this folded flattened plate type (Bourgoin and Deiss, 1994;Stroiński et al, 2011). The cuticular denticles of D. damnosa are similar to those of some planthoppers, and are considered to protect the plaque organs (Aljunid and Anderson, 1983;Fu et al, 2012;Wang et al, 2012Wang et al, , 2013.…”

“…Most of these antennal sensilla are generally distributed on the flagellum, and present a variety of forms and characteristics in relation to their various functions in contact chemoreception, mechanoreception and thermohygroreception (Chapman, 1998;Zacharuk, 1985). With regard to Fulgoromorpha, the sensilla of a flagellum are less in number than in many other insects, and ultrastructure observations of antennal sensilla in planthoppers have so far mostly focused on Delphacidae and Tropiduchidae (Fu et al, 2012(Fu et al, , 2013Sun et al, 2006;Wang et al, 1997;Wang et al, 2012Wang et al, , 2013. Antennal structures are indeed demonstrated in some taxonomic papers (Liang, 2001a,b;Liang, 2002a,b;Stroiński et al, 2011) and plaque organs on the pedicel have been considered as a potential characteristic for taxonomic and phylogenetic analysis (Bourgoin, 1985;Bourgoin and Deiss, 1994;Cheng and Yang, 1996a,b;Hamilton, 2011;Lewis and Marshall, 1970;Marshall and Lewis, 1971;Yang, 1996, 1997).…”

“…However, limited anatomical studies of mouthparts structures and sensilla have interfered with understanding of sensory mechanisms and mediation of feeding in the Auchenorrhyncha. In Fulgoromorpha, research on mouthparts has focused on labial sensilla (Backus, 1985;Brożek and Bourgoin, 2013a;Foster et al, 1983b;Liang, 2005;Mora et al, 2001;Sōgawa, 1977;Wang et al, 2012), the interlocking mechanism of maxillae and mandibles (Brożek et al, 2006;Brożek and Bourgoin, 2013b), or description of mouthpart morphology just for delphacids (Dai et al, 2014;Mora et al, 2001).…”

Who’s that girl? A singular Tropiduchidae planthopper from the Eocene Baltic amber (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha)

“…and Liang, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011Shcherbakov, 2006;Gnezdilov, 2007Gnezdilov, , 2012aGnezdilov, , 2013bFletcher, 2008;Wang R.R., 2008a, 2008b;Wang R.R. et al, 2009Wang R.R. et al, , 2012aWang R.R.…”