Affiliations 

  • 1 Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
  • 2 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
  • 3 Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Insects, 2021 Jan 26;12(2).
PMID: 33530622 DOI: 10.3390/insects12020106

Abstract

Dacini fruit flies mainly contain two genera, Bactrocera and Zeugodacus, and include many important pests of fruits and vegetables. Their life cycle is affected by various environmental cues. Among them, multiple characteristic semiochemicals have remarkable effects on their reproductive and host-finding behaviors. Notably, floral fragrances released from so-called fruit fly orchids strongly attract males of several Dacini fruit fly species. Focusing on the strong attraction of male flies to particular chemicals, natural and synthetic lures have been used for pest management. Thus, the perception of semiochemicals is important to understand environmental adaptation in Dacini fruit flies. Since next-generation sequencers are available, a large number of chemosensory-related genes have been identified in Dacini fruit flies, as well as other insects. Furthermore, recent studies have succeeded in the functional analyses of olfactory receptors in response to semiochemicals. Thus, characterization of molecular components required for chemoreception is under way. However, the mechanisms underlying chemoreception remain largely unknown. This paper reviews recent findings on peripheral mechanisms in the perception of odors in Dacini fruit flies, describing related studies in other dipteran species, mainly the model insect Drosophilamelanogaster. Based on the review, important themes for future research have also been discussed.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.