Sex pheromone of the queen butterfly: biology

Males of the queen butterfly Danaus gilippus berenice, deprived of the two extrusible brushlike "hairpencils" at the rear of their abdomen, are capable of courting females but incapable of seducing them. In normal courtship, an aphrodisiac secretion associated with the hairpencils is transferred by way of tiny cuticular "dust" particles to the antennae of the females. Of the two substances identified from the secretion, one (the ketone) acts as the chemical messenger that induces the females to mate. The only known function of the other compound (the diol) is to serve as a glue that sticks the dust to the female. Males were reared under conditions in which they produced subnormal amounts of ketone and showed reduced seductive capacity. Under certain experimental circumstances, the competence of these males was restored by addition of synthetic ketone.     

Sex pheromone of the queen butterfly: chemistry

Two major components in the "hairpencil" secretion of the male of the queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus berenice) have been identified. One, a crystalline ketone (2,3-dihydro-7-methyl-1H-pyrrolizin-1-one), is known from another danaid butterfly. The other, a viscous terpenoid alcohol (trans, trans-3,7-dimethyldeca-2,6-dien-1,10-diol), is new; its structure is confirmed by an unambiguous synthesis.     

Carac glycosides and distastefulness: some observations on the palatability spectrum of butterflies

The monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus sequesters cardiac gylcosides from northern species of Asclepias formerly reported to lack these noxious compounds. Thus, a new explanation must be sought as to why the monarchs reared on these northern asclepiads are palatable to avian predators.     

Olfactory Receptor Response to the Cockroach Sexual Attractant

The recently isolated sex attractant of the female American cockroach elicits an electical response in the antennae of males, females, and mymphs of this species. These electroantennograms are known to be summated receptor (generator) potentials of many olfactory sensillae stimulated simultaneously. Many other odorous substances also elicit such responses in the cockroach antenna.     

Ecological chemistry and the palatability spectrum

A new bioassay for comparing the palatability to avian predators of monarch butterflies reared on various asclepiadaceous food plants containing cardiac glycosides indicates a palatability spectrum. The monarchs reared on one plant species are six times as emetic as those fed another, while those raised on an asclepiad which lacks cardiac glycosides are not emetic at all.     

性成熟雄蜂与外勤工蜂触角差异蛋白质组分析

【目的】通过对性成熟雄蜂与外勤工蜂差异蛋白质组进行定量及定性的分析,以期探明雄蜂与工蜂触角发挥生理功能的分子基础。【方法】将性成熟雄蜂与外勤工蜂的触角蛋白质进行双向凝胶电泳以获得蛋白质的分子量、等电点和表达量信息,利用MALDI-TOF质谱以及MASCOT软件对部分表达量有差异的蛋白质进行鉴定,并对其进行表达量的聚类分析。【结果】性成熟雄蜂和外勤工蜂的触角各表达了484、479个蛋白质,其中共有蛋白质416个。在表达的蛋白质中,有102个蛋白质在雄蜂触角中高表达,有80个蛋白质在工蜂触角中高表达。9个已鉴定的差异蛋白质在功能上主要参与转运、激素代谢和能量代谢。雄蜂触角中高表达的有气味结合蛋白质14、脂肪酸结合蛋白质(2个)、保幼激素酯酶(2个)、酰基辅酶A脱氢酶、bellwether异构体1以及CG31974-PA;在工蜂触角中高表达的仅有触角特异蛋白质2。【结论】性成熟雄蜂与外勤工蜂表达的总蛋白质的数量没有明显的差异,且大部分为共有蛋白质,说明工蜂与雄蜂触角的分子进化过程是较为保守的。在雄蜂触角中高表达的参与转运以及代谢的蛋白质,可能是为了使雄蜂婚飞过程中能够更灵敏的接受蜂王的性信息素,准确发现并找到蜂王进行交尾;而在工蜂触角中高表达的触角特异蛋白质2,可能在快速准确寻找蜜粉源、接受巢内外信息素以识别同伴的过程中起着重要作用。     

Mortality of the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus L.): Avian Predation at Five Overwintering Sites in Mexico

Analyses of predated butterflies on the forest floor at five monarch overwintering sites in Mexico and observations of birds foraging in mixed flocks indicate that individual birds of several species have learned to penetrate the monarch's cardenolide-based chemical defense. Predation is inversely proportional to colony size and appears to be one evolutionary explanation of the dense aggregations.     

Variation in cardiac glycoside content of monarch butterflies from natural populations in eastern North America

A new spectrophotometric assay has been used to determine the gross concentration of cardiac glycoside in individual monarch butterflies. Adults sampled during the fall migration in four areas of eastern North America exhibited a wide variation in cardiac glycoside concentration. The correlation between spectrophotometrically measured concentrations and emetic dose determinations supports the existence of a broad palatability spectrum in wild monarch butterflies. The cardiac gylcoside concentration is greater in females than in males and is independent of the dry weight of the butterflies; contrary to prediction, both the concentration mean and variance decrease southward. The defensive advantage of incorporating cardiac glycosides may be balanced by detrimental effects on individual viability.     

用扫描电镜观察蜜蜂触角上的感觉器官

本文用扫描电镜对蜜蜂触角上的感觉器官进行了观察。通过对工蜂、雄蜂和蜂王等触角上各种感觉器官的分布情况进行比较,并结合各自的生活习性,对某些感觉器官的作用和类别进行了讨论。认为板形感觉器官和锥形感觉器官是主要的嗅觉器官,各种毛形器官是触觉器官,分布在工蜂和雄蜂第一、二鞭节上的曲毛是辨别风向的感觉器官,而倒杯形器官是成长中的毛形器官。     

气味受体基因Orco在中华蜜蜂雄蜂触角中的表达及定位分析

【目的】昆虫气味受体（odorant receptors, Ors）在其发挥嗅觉识别过程中采用的是配体门控离子通道信号传导机制,这一离子通道是由一个特定的共受体与一个普通气味受体结合为异源二聚体而形成的。其中,气味共受体（odorant receptor coreceptor, Orco）是一个十分独特的家族,在不同种类昆虫中高度保守,并在调控昆虫的嗅觉行为方面发挥关键作用。论文在对中华蜜蜂（Apis cerana cerana,简称中蜂）工蜂Orco研究基础之上,进一步探讨雄蜂Orco的表达特性。【方法】采集中蜂1日龄雄蜂的触角、头（去除触角）、胸、腹、足5部分组织,以及不同发育阶段的幼虫、蛹及成蜂触角。提取各样本的总RNA,利用real-time quantitative PCR（qPCR）技术鉴定Orco在雄蜂不同组织及不同发育时期的表达谱;采集1日龄雄蜂触角制备冰冻切片,合成地高辛标记的寡核苷酸探针,利用原位杂交技术对Orco在雄蜂触角中的表达进行细胞定位分析。【结果】qPCR分析结果表明,Orco转录本在不同组织中的表达量表现为触角>头>足>腹>胸,其中触角表达量约为头部的100倍;Orco在雄蜂不同发育阶段均有表达,其中幼虫期和蛹期表达量较低,羽化后开始逐渐升高,性成熟后维持在一个较高的水平。此外,结合前期工蜂荧光定量试验数据,分析得到Orco在雄蜂触角中的表达量极显著高于工蜂触角表达量（P＜0.01）。原位杂交结果显示,Orco阳性杂交信号大量表达于雄蜂触角的板型感器和毛型感器的神经元细胞中。【结论】气味受体基因Orco在中蜂雄蜂的触角中大量表达,且在性成熟后表达量达到高峰。结合前期研究结果,推测Orco在中蜂中是偏雄性表达的。     

Localization of heart poisons in the monarch butterfly

The cardiac glycosides that monarch butterflies sequester from milkweed plants during the larval stage differ remarkably in their emetic potency and are concentrated to different degrees in the various parts of the body as well as in the two sexes (Fig. 1). The very high concentrations of these compounds in the wings probably facilitate learned taste rejection in predators and account for the relatively high frequency of Danaid butterflies with beak-marked wings in natural populations. The cardiac glycosides in the abdomen have a much higher emetic potency than those in the rest of the body. Consequently, naive, extremely hungry, or forgetful birds which capture and peck off the wings but eat the abdomen discard the least emetic glycosides and ingest the most emetic, and thus again experience emesis. The nonrandom distribution of cardenolides in the wings, abdomen, and thorax, together with the fact that monarch males not only contain lower concentrations of cardiac glycosides than females but also contain cardenolides that are overall less emetic than those in females, is interpreted as evidence that these poisons are incorporated at a physiological cost. This cost, balanced against the benefits of protection from predation, provides a selective basis for the occurrence of both emetic and nonemetic individuals in natural populations. Since birds can discriminate emetic from nonemetic monarchs on the basis of taste, it is not necessary to invoke theories of kind of group selection to explain the evolution of this kind of unpalatability.     

Swarm Orientation in Honeybees

A swarm of honeybees will move up to 75 m (250 feet) without its queen but only for 3 to 8 minutes. The swarm is aware of the presence of its queen, but the queen does not lead the swarm from one location to another. Bees return to a queen which cannot follow the swarm in flight and in fact are capable of finding a queen "lost along the way." The source of the odoriferous substance(s) responsible for a swarm's detection of its queen appears to be glands in her head.     

佳木斯大学校园及其周边环境的蝶类多样性研究

[目的]研究高校校园与周边环境中的蝶类多样性变化。[方法]在佳木斯大学校园和校外农田进行蝶类多样性的调查。[结果]共采集到蝶类标本665只,校外农田有6科、31属、35种,而校园内有6科、25属、28种。校外农田的蝶类多样性指数(H')、均匀度指数(J)和优势度指数(D)均高于校园生境。[结论]佳木斯大学校外农田的整个生态环境较适于蝶类生存。     

Study on the Ultrastructures of Antennal Sensilla in Helicoverpa armigera

The morphology and structures of antennal sensilla of Helicoverpa armigera are observed under scanning and transmission electron microscopes. Antennae of Helicoverpa armigera are made up of scapus,pedicel and flagellum that the latter consists of 70 - 82 segments. The inner side surface of antenna is cataphracted and most of the antennal sensilla lie on its outer, upper and lower surfaces. Both the antennae of male and female contain five kinds of antennal sensilla, namely, sensillum trichodeum, sensillum basiconicum, sensillum chaeticum, ear-shaped sensillum and sensillum coeloconicum, and the kinds, number and distribution of antennal sensilla of both sexes are similar. There are a large number of serrate cuticular processes on antennal surface, especially on the middle and basic parts of antenna. Sensillum trichodeum and sensillum basiconicum, the main chemical odor receptors on antennae of Helicoverpa armigera, consist of cuticularwall, sheath cells, lymph and dendrites. There are significant differences between the internal structures of the two kinds of sensilla. In sensillum trichodeum, the cuticular-wall is thicker, less lipophilic pore channels and has one or a few dendrites, while in sensillum basiconicum, the cuticular-wall is thinner, abundant lipophilic pore channels and has much more dendrites.     

Illuminating the circadian clock in monarch butterfly migration

Migratory monarch butterflies use a time-compensated Sun compass to navigate to their overwintering grounds in Mexico. Here, we report that constant light, which disrupts circadian clock function at both the behavioral and molecular levels in monarchs, also disrupts the time-compensated component of flight navigation. We further show that ultraviolet light is important for flight navigation but is not required for photic entrainment of circadian rhythms. Tracing these distinct light-input pathways into the brain should aid our understanding of the clock-compass mechanisms necessary for successful migration.     

江苏云台山蝶类种类调查初报

2002.9-2006.4对在江苏省云台山地采集的1000余号蝶类标本进行鉴定,初步确定云台山地蝶类7科54属76种.其中凤蝶科5属11种,绢蝶科1属1种,粉蝶科5属6种,眼蝶类7属12种,蛱蝶类15属18种,灰蝶类10属15种,弄蝶科11属13种.江苏省新纪录种12种.     

甘肃祁连山国家级自然保护区的蝶类(一)

1991～2000年间在祁连山自然保护区(东径97°25′～103°38′，北纬36°45′～39°30′)进行了蝶类种类调查，采制蝶类标本3500余号，已经鉴定出的有115种，分别隶属8科65属，其中凤蝶科2种、绢蝶科9种、粉蝶科25种、眼蝶科25种、蛱蝶科25种、蚬蝶科2种、灰蝶科17种、弄蝶科10种，有32种为甘肃省新记录。     

四川省九寨沟自然保护区蝶类区系组成及多样性

2002年5∽8月和2003年7月期间,对九寨沟自然保护区的蝶类进行了调查研究,共获得蝶类398只,隶属于6科55属78种,蛱蝶科种类最多,凤蝶科最少。对其区系和多样性进行分析,古北种31种,东洋种20种,广布种(古北区和东洋区共有种)27种;分别占总数的39．8％,25．6％和34．6％。表明该地区蝶类以古北种为主体,更多反映出古北区的成分。在不同生境中,落叶阔叶林的物种多样性指数、丰富度和个体数量较高,针叶林物种多样性指数、丰富度和个体数量较低。而相似性分析表明。各生境之间的蝶类相似性系数很低。     

北京松山国家自然保护区鳞翅目昆虫区系分析

在2003-2007年对北京松山国家级自然保护区的鳞翅目昆虫区系进行了调查,结果发现,保护区有鳞翅目昆虫33科261属355种,其中蛾类25科199属271种,蝶类8科62属84种,古北种和古北东洋共有种是该区鳞翅目昆虫的主要组成类群。该区的鳞翅目昆虫区系具有典型的北方特征和过渡性特征。     

黑龙江省蛱蝶科(Nymphalidae,Lepidoptera)名录

1998~2002年间,对黑龙江省大部地区的蛱蝶科(Nymphalidae,Lepidoptera)昆虫进行调查,并对东北农业大学农学院植保系昆虫标本室所收藏的1949年以来的蛱蝶科标本进行整理鉴定,共发现蛱蝶70种,分别隶属于4亚科26属,其中有黑龙江新记录种7种。文中记述各种、亚种的学名、别名和采集地。