The brain organization of the lichen moth Eilema japonica, which secretes an alkenyl sex pheromone.
The neuroanatomy of the brain is important for the functional analysis of sex pheromone recognition in moths. Most moths use either of two types of compounds, aliphatic or alkenyl compounds, as sex pheromones. As previous studies on the neuroanatomy of moths have mostly been carried out using moths that use aliphatic compounds, information on the brain of moths that use alkenyl compounds is scarce. Here, we describe the brain anatomy of the male lichen-feeding moth Eilema japonica (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae), which uses a mixture of alkenyl compounds as a sex pheromone. We reconstructed the major neuropils in the midbrain of E. japonica and compared them with those of the silkmoth, which uses an aliphatic derivative as a sex pheromone. The brain organization of the two species was basically similar, except for the size of the macroglomerular complex, where pheromone information is processed. The macroglomerular complex in E. japonica consisted of four large glomeruli, which were positioned along dorsoventral and anterior-posterior axes. The glomerulus at the site of entry of the antennal nerve was shown to have the largest volume. The number of glomeruli was equal to the number of pheromone components that are crucial for orientation behavior in E. japonica.
Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Shigehiro
S
Namiki
Takeshi
T
Fujii
Yukio
Y
Ishikawa
Ryohei
R
Kanzaki
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009036:Moths / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D019581:Neuropil / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000378:metabolism*
D012724:Sex Attractants