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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fort Pierce, Florida » U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory » Subtropical Insects and Horticulture Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #291814

Title: Comparative anaylsis of Asian citrus psyllid and potato psyllid antennae

Author
item ARRAS, JANET - University Of Texas
item Hunter, Wayne
item BEXTINE, BLAKE - University Of Texas

Submitted to: International Research Conference on Huanglongbing
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/20/2010
Publication Date: 1/10/2011
Citation: Arras, J., Hunter, W.B., Bextine, B.R. 2011. Comparative anaylsis of Asian citrus psyllid and potato psyllid antennae. In: Proceedings of the 2nd International Research Conference on Huanglongbing, January 10-14, 2011, Orlando, Florida. p. 45

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The comparative investigation of the morphological basis for olfactory reception in the Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) and the potato/tomato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) was performed using scanning electron microscopy to elucidate the antennal sensory arrays being used by these two psyllids in host selection and mating. Different host plant niches are used by these psyllids. While D. citri is essentially monophagous feeding only from citrus and its near relatives, B. cockerelli feeds on a wide range of Solanaceous plants. Two different antennal sensory arrays were identified, with a more complex arrangement occurring in D. citri over B. cockerelli. The antenna length of D. citri was 0.23 mm long and contained 10 segments, while B. cockerelli had antenna of 0.60 mm length with 10 segments. In both species, apically on the sensillus terminalis there are two conspicuous multi-porus single-walled bristles. These were longer in B. cockerelli. Mechano- and chemosensory hairs appear in low numbers on all segments in both species, with higher number of sensillae on distal segments. Diaphorina citri coevolved with its citrus host plant in tropical Asian countries, thus locating the strong aromatic plants was most likely less difficult and females would be constrained to a specific host plant; B. cockerelli, which has fewer olfactory sensilla and feeds on a wider host range, may have more sensitivity to specific chemical cues to locate the opposite gender for mating which could occur on many different host plants.