Abstract

The moth Spodoptera littoralis, is a major pest of agriculture whose olfactory system is tuned to odorants emitted by host plants and conspecifics. As in other insects, the paired mushroom bodies are thought to play pivotal roles in behaviors that are elicited by contextual and multisensory signals, amongst which those of specific odors dominate. Compared with species that have elaborate behavioral repertoires, such as the honey bee Apis mellifera or the cockroach Periplaneta americana, the mushroom bodies of S. littoralis were originally viewed as having a simple cellular organization. This has been since challenged by observations of putative transmitters and neuromodulators. As revealed by immunocytology, the spodopteran mushroom bodies, like those of other taxa, are subdivided longitudinally into discrete neuropil domains. Such divisions are further supported by the present study, which also demonstrates discrete affinities to different mushroom body neuropils by antibodies raised against two putative transmitters, glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid, and against three putative neuromodulatory substances: serotonin, A-type allatostatin, and tachykinin-related peptides. The results suggest that in addition to longitudinal divisions of the lobes, circuits in the calyces and lobes are likely to be independently modulated. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

insect brain; mushroom body; functional organization; immunocytology; chemical neuroanatomy

Published in

Arthropod Structure and Development
2008, Volume: 37, number: 4, pages: 260-272
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCI LTD

SLU Authors

• Sjöholm, Marcus

  • Department of Crop Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Zoology
Microbiology


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asd.2008.01.001

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/77872