Identification and Expression Profile of Chemosensory Genes in the Antennal Transcriptome of Protaetia brevitarsis (Cole-optera: Scarabaeidae)
Protaetia brevitarsis, a prominent agroforestry pest widely found in East Asia, causes substantial economic losses through direct feeding of adults on commercially valuable fruits, such as apples and grapes. Current management strategies depend predominantly on the use of chemical pesticides and physical trapping methods. However, prolonged pesticide application promotes insecticide resistance and environmental contamination, whereas conventional trapping techniques suffer from limited efficacy as they lack optimized olfactory attractants. Given the significance of the olfactory system in mediating essential behaviors, including host localization, mating, and oviposition, deciphering the chemosensory mechanisms of P. brevitarsis could help develop eco-friendly pest control approaches. In this study, we comprehensively characterized the chemosensory-related gene repertoire of P. brevitarsis and elucidated its phylogenetic relationships and tissue-specific expression patterns. These findings provide molecular insights that will guide future functional investigations and facilitate the development of olfactory disruption-based precise pest-control technologies.