The Compound Eye And Antenna Influence On Copulation Behavior And Host-acceptance Of Tetrastichus Brontispae Ferrière

Tetrastichus brontispae Ferriere is an important parasitoid of the coconut leaf beetle, Brontispa longissima Gestro at pupal stage. And it was introduced into Taiwan national Pingtung university of science and technology to control B. longissima pest in 2004 and released in the field. The effect of compound eye and antennae on copulation behavior of T. brontispae was studied by smearing its compound eye and antennae with water-soluble melanin pigment and liquid paraffin respectively; The effect of chalcids' vision and olfaction on host acceptance behavior of T. brontispae were studied by smearing its compound eye and antennae with water-soluble melanin pigment and liquid paraffin respectively; The effect of chalcids'vision on its host acceptance behavior of T. brontispae were investigated by wrapping up the B. longissima pupaes with growing point of leaves, A4 virgin paper and black belt respectively; The effect of motion of host pupae on chalcid host acceptance behavior were explored by pupaes of B. longissima were cryopreserved at-81℃for 10 minutes; The ultra-morphology of compound eye and sensilla on antenna of T. brontispae were observed by means of scanning electron microscope, and difference of distribution and quantity of sensilla on antenna of two sexes were analyzed. There were obviously sex dimorphisms, which show different antenna sizes, and different shape, size, number and distribution of sensilla. The main results are summarized as follows:1. The results of the copulation behavior:there was a significant difference of the compound eye of chalcid in copulation behavior between two sexes. The importance of every subsegment to copulation of male chalcid was in the following decreasing order:antennal scape> antennal club> antennal flagellum, but the female's was antennal flagellum> antennal club> antennal scape.2. The results of the host-acceptance behavior:the olfaction of chalcid played main role when T. brontispae search host, the visionof chalcid just played auxiliary role, whereas, the motion of pupae had little influence.3. The results of the compound eyes using Scanning electron microscopy:the compound eyes of female chalcid were composed of about 267 ommatidia and it was an outward slightly convex rotundity. The male chalcid was long ellipse and composed of approximate 285 ommatidia. The shape of ommatidia in the central region was hexagon and more rules, and very closes, but in the rim was irregular quadrangle, pentagon or hexagon, and no close, the spacing between the individual ommitidium was very big. The ommatidium areas of female and male chalcid were 124.93μm2 and 119.90μm2, respectively. There were some sensilla between the ommatidia which near dorsal area in the compound eye of male and female.4. The results of the antenna using scanning electron microscopy:Eight distinct types of sensory receptors were found on antenna, including sensilla trichodea, sensilla multiporous plate, sensilla chaetica, sensilla basiconica, sensilla auricillica, sensilla mammilliformia, sensilla coeloconica and bohm bristles, it described the shape and distribution of different kinds of sensilla on antenna of chalcid as well as the differences of distribution and quantity between sexes of these sensilla:As the major sensilla, both sensillum trichodeum and sensillum placodeum were distributed widely on the antenna with larger amount; Moreover, there were obviously sex dimorphisms, shows in difference of antenna sizes and different shape, size, number and distribution of sensilla.