Spectral sensitivity of the compound eye of the cabbage root fly, Delia radicum (Diptera: Anthomyiidae)

1996 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 337-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.E. Brown ◽  
M. Anderson

AbstractThe spectral sensitivity of the compound eye of the cabbage root fly, Delia radicum (Linnaeus), was measured using the electroretinogram (ERG) technique, at fifteen selected wavelengths between 340 nm and 670 nm. The form of the ERG was found to be diphasic in nature. A primary peak of spectral sensitivity in the UV (340–350 nm), and a smaller secondary peak in the blue-green region (460–546 nm) were found, together with a shoulder of sensitivity, representing a ‘pseudo-peak’ as reported for other Diptera, in the red region (630 nm). No significant differences were found between the dorsal and ventral regions of the eye. The peak response in the green region (546 nm) agrees well with existing behavioural data on colour attraction and visual discrimination of host plants by the cabbage root fly.

Author(s):  

Abstract A new distribution map is provided for Delia radicum (L.) (Hylemya brassicae(Bch.)) (Dipt., Anthomyiidae) (Cabbage root fly). Host Plants: Brassica spp. Information is given on the geographical distribution in EUROPE (excl. USSR), Austria, Azores, Belgium, Britain, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, ASIA (excl. USSR), Israel, Turkey, USSR, AFRICA, Madeira, Morocco, NORTH AMERICA, Canada, USA.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Belén Cotes ◽  
Gunda Thöming ◽  
Carol V. Amaya-Gómez ◽  
Ondřej Novák ◽  
Christian Nansen

AbstractRoot-associated entomopathogenic fungi (R-AEF) indirectly influence herbivorous insect performance. However, host plant-R-AEF interactions and R-AEF as biological control agents have been studied independently and without much attention to the potential synergy between these functional traits. In this study, we evaluated behavioral responses of cabbage root flies [Delia radicum L. (Diptera: Anthomyiidae)] to a host plant (white cabbage cabbage Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. alba cv. Castello L.) with and without the R-AEF Metarhizium brunneum (Petch). We performed experiments on leaf reflectance, phytohormonal composition and host plant location behavior (behavioral processes that contribute to locating and selecting an adequate host plant in the environment). Compared to control host plants, R-AEF inoculation caused, on one hand, a decrease in reflectance of host plant leaves in the near-infrared portion of the radiometric spectrum and, on the other, an increase in the production of jasmonic, (+)-7-iso-jasmonoyl-l-isoleucine and salicylic acid in certain parts of the host plant. Under both greenhouse and field settings, landing and oviposition by cabbage root fly females were positively affected by R-AEF inoculation of host plants. The fungal-induced change in leaf reflectance may have altered visual cues used by the cabbage root flies in their host plant selection. This is the first study providing evidence for the hypothesis that R-AEF manipulate the suitability of their host plant to attract herbivorous insects.


2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 343-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Deasy ◽  
Tom Shepherd ◽  
Colin J. Alexander ◽  
A. Nicholas E. Birch ◽  
K. Andrew Evans

1995 ◽  
Vol 198 (9) ◽  
pp. 1909-1917 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Cutler ◽  
R Bennett ◽  
R Stevenson ◽  
R White

The spectral sensitivity of nectar feeding by adults of the tobacco hawkmoth Manduca sexta was measured in free-choice experiments. The action spectrum displayed a narrow peak at 450 nm and a low secondary maximum at 560 nm. Thus, the feeding response is mediated primarily by blue-sensitive receptors containing the Manduca sexta photopigment P450, while green-sensitive receptors containing P520 play a minor role. A minimum at 500 nm separating the two peaks suggests mutual inhibition between green and blue receptors or negative interaction more proximally in the visual system. The action spectrum drops off abruptly at 400 nm, in accordance with an earlier finding that ultraviolet wavelengths, discerned by receptors containing P357, obstruct the feeding response. The spectral sensitivity of the Manduca sexta compound eye, determined by electroretinogram recordings, and earlier visual pigment measurements indicate that approximately 75 % of the receptors are green-sensitive, with the remainder divided between blue- and ultraviolet-sensitive cells. The distribution of receptor types in small areas of the retina was measured by their ultrastructural response to light. Green and ultraviolet receptors were found, but not the blue receptors that dominate the feeding response. Possibly they are concentrated in a particular region of the retina that has not yet been found.


Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrice Lamy ◽  
Laura Bellec ◽  
Amélie Rusu-Stievenard ◽  
Pauline Clin ◽  
Claire Ricono ◽  
...  

The development of integrated pest management strategies becomes more and more pressing in view of potential harmful effects of synthetic pesticides on the environment and human health. A promising alternative strategy against Delia radicum is the use of trap crops. Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis and subsp. chinensis) is a highly sensitive Brassicaceae species previously identified as a good candidate to attract the cabbage root fly away from other crops. Here, we carried out multi-choice experiments both in the laboratory and in field conditions to measure the oviposition susceptibilities of different subspecies and cultivars of Chinese cabbages as compared to a broccoli reference. We found large differences among subspecies and cultivars of the Chinese cabbage, which received three to eleven times more eggs than the broccoli reference in field conditions. In laboratory conditions, the chinensis subspecies did not receive more eggs than the broccoli reference. We conclude that D. radicum largely prefers to lay eggs on the pekinensis subspecies of Chinese cabbage compared to the chinensis subspecies or broccoli. Some pekinensis cultivars, which received over ten times more eggs than broccoli in the field, appear especially promising candidates to further develop trap crop strategies against the cabbage root fly.


2020 ◽  
Vol 293 ◽  
pp. 106834
Author(s):  
Xavier Mesmin ◽  
Anne-Marie Cortesero ◽  
Loïc Daniel ◽  
Manuel Plantegenest ◽  
Vincent Faloya ◽  
...  

2005 ◽  
Vol 137 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.G. Biron ◽  
D. Coderre ◽  
S. Fournet ◽  
J.P. Nénon ◽  
J. Le Lannic ◽  
...  

AbstractThe first-instar larvae of Delia radicum (L.) and Delia antiqua (Meigen) enter host plants to feed in galleries. These galleries can be filled by a liquid resulting from the putrefaction of the host. In this study, we show that D. radicum and D. antiqua larvae have a metapneustic respiratory system in the first instar and an amphipneustic respiratory system in the second instar, as observed in the majority of cyclorrhaphous Diptera. In addition, we observed four spatulate, ramified structures on the postabdominal spiracles in all three larval instars. We propose that these structures facilitate gas exchange (CO2 and O2), especially in the first-instar larvae when they feed in liquid-filled galleries.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. e41543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Zoephel ◽  
Wencke Reiher ◽  
Karl-Heinz Rexer ◽  
Jörg Kahnt ◽  
Christian Wegener

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