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Insects
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Feeding Organs in Hexapoda
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Feeding Organs in Hexapoda

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Other Arthropods and General Topics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 14681

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Harald W. Krenn

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Evolutionary Biology, unit Integrative Zoology, Faculty of Life Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Interests: form and function of mouthparts; flower-visiting insects; organ evolution

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The feeding organs of Hexapoda are complex and show an enormous diversity, shaped by evolution to optimize the uptake and processing of different kinds of food. Mouthparts have been well studied to date; however, many taxa still lack basic research, and novel study techniques provide an opportunity to improve our knowledge through already well-investigated examples. Additional components of the feeding apparatus are less studied, and detailed information is missing to understand how Hexapoda take up food and ingest it into the alimentary tract. This Special Issue will address original studies on feeding organs across all taxa of Hexapoda. All topics are welcome that focus on morphology, function, as well as ecological and evolutionary aspects; comparative approaches are also encouraged. Review articles are especially welcome that cover new points of view, less studied aspects or so-far neglected taxa. The purpose of this issue is to publish basic and applied studies using recent methods and to outline future avenues of research of insect feeding.

Prof. Dr. Harald W. Krenn
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • feeding apparatus
  • mouthparts
  • insect feeding
  • functional morphology
  • ecomorphology
  • evolution
  • biomechanics
  • comparative anatomy

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 6662 KiB  
Article
Fine-Structural Morphology of the Mouthparts of the Polyphagous Invasive Planthopper, Ricania speculum (Walker) (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Ricaniidae)
by Tiantian Gao, Jolanta Brożek and Wu Dai
Insects 2022, 13(9), 843; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13090843 - 16 Sep 2022
Viewed by 1945
Abstract
Mouthparts are the crucial sensory and feeding organs associated with food detection and feeding in insects. The Asian ricaniid planthopper Ricania speculum (Walker), recently introduced into Europe, can cause severe economic damage by sucking the phloem sap of tea, camphor, citrus, black locust [...] Read more.
Mouthparts are the crucial sensory and feeding organs associated with food detection and feeding in insects. The Asian ricaniid planthopper Ricania speculum (Walker), recently introduced into Europe, can cause severe economic damage by sucking the phloem sap of tea, camphor, citrus, black locust and other plants using piercing-sucking mouthparts. To facilitate comprehensive understanding of feeding mechanisms in the Ricaniidae, the fine structure of the mouthparts of Ricania speculum was observed by scanning electron microscopy for the first time. The mouthparts are tubular, consist of a cone-shaped labrum, with a wrinkled epidermis and without sensilla; the tubular labium is divided into three segments: a slender stylet fascicle consisting of two mandibular stylets with four ridged processes and a row of longitudinal striations on the distal part of the outer surface; and two maxillary stylets with a smooth and sharp distal part, interlocked to form a larger food canal and a smaller salivary canal. On the labium, 15 kinds of sensilla of different functions were recognized. Two rows of short sensilla basiconica (SB I) are symmetrically distributed along the labial groove on the first segment. Two pairs of long sensilla basiconica (SB II) (proprioceptors) are on both sides of the labial groove at the junction of the second and third segments. A placoid, flattened sensillum (SPF) is symmetrically located laterally on the proximal end of the last segment and several flattened sensilla campaniformia (SFC) were visible on the ventral side on the second and third segments. The distribution of four types (I–IV) of sensilla cheatica of different lengths on the dorsal surface of the labium is significantly denser than on the lateral and ventral surfaces. The labial apex is divided into dorsal and ventral sensory fields, mainly including uniporous long peg sensilla (I), as well as smaller peg sensilla (II) and nonporous peg sensilla (PGSN) on each dorsal field. These nonporous sensilla basiconica (BSN I and III) occur on the ventral sensory fields and are constant in number and distribution. The nonporous sensilla basiconica (BSN II) are symmetrically arranged near the opening of the stylet fascicle similarly to two oval multiporous plate sensilla (OPSM). The sensilla arrangement is slightly different from that observed in previously studied Fulgoromorpha using scanning electron micrographs, which may reflect differences in feeding preference or behavior. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feeding Organs in Hexapoda)
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42 pages, 32851 KiB  
Article
Mouthpart Ecomorphology and Predatory Behaviour in Selected Rove Beetles of the “Staphylinine Group” (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae, Paederinae)
by Benedict Stocker, Sonja Barthold and Oliver Betz
Insects 2022, 13(8), 667; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13080667 - 23 Jul 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2433
Abstract
The representatives of the megadiverse rove beetle subfamilies Paederinae and Staphylininae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) are considered generalist predators, although their exact prey-capture behaviour and performance and possible links to mouthpart morphology have rarely been described. Here, we examine these relationships for selected species by [...] Read more.
The representatives of the megadiverse rove beetle subfamilies Paederinae and Staphylininae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) are considered generalist predators, although their exact prey-capture behaviour and performance and possible links to mouthpart morphology have rarely been described. Here, we examine these relationships for selected species by SEM analyses of mouthparts and front legs and highspeed videography of prey-capture behaviour. We describe the observed behaviours and structural properties and quantify relationships between prey type, mouthpart morphology, and predatory performance based on morphometric measurements of both the shape and lever properties of the mandible. We show that the Staphylininae considered have morphological and behavioural properties generally associated with generalist predation and that the Paederinae considered display characteristics that are highly specialized on elusive prey such as Collembola. We found correlations between mandible shape and leverage, and body size and prey type. We report distinct prey-capture behaviours: the beetles use front legs and/or mandibles to attack prey, drag prey, or cage it between their legs. These strategies differ among species and situations. Overall, this exploratory study provides insights into the morphology and types of prey capture that must have played a major role in the evolution of these beetles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feeding Organs in Hexapoda)
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20 pages, 5270 KiB  
Article
Material Properties and Morphology of Prestomal Teeth in Relation to the Feeding Habits of Diptera (Brachycera)
by Matthew S. Lehnert, Lauren A. Tarver and Jiansheng Feng
Insects 2022, 13(2), 207; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13020207 - 17 Feb 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2434
Abstract
Prestomal teeth are cuticular projections on the mouthparts of some fly species that rasp surfaces when feeding. Although prestomal teeth morphology has been reported for several fly species, their material properties have not been investigated. Here we report the morphology, elemental composition, extent [...] Read more.
Prestomal teeth are cuticular projections on the mouthparts of some fly species that rasp surfaces when feeding. Although prestomal teeth morphology has been reported for several fly species, their material properties have not been investigated. Here we report the morphology, elemental composition, extent of sclerotization, hardness, and elastic modulus of prestomal teeth and relate these findings to feeding habits. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that species categorized as flower visitors have a large labellum with numerous pseudotracheae and lack prestomal teeth, generalist species have these same features but with prestomal teeth, and specialist species that feed on blood or other insects have a smaller labellum with few or no pseudotracheae and relatively large prestomal teeth. Confocal microscopy revealed that prestomal teeth are heavily sclerotized and the labellum contains resilin, an elastomeric protein. Hardness and elastic modulus were explored with nanoindentation and showed that the insectivorous Scathophaga stercoraria had the hardest prestomal teeth and the highest modulus. Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy revealed that prestomal teeth had low concentrations of inorganic elements, suggesting that hardness might be partially supplemented by inorganic elements. Our findings indicate that prestomal teeth morphology and material properties relate more to feeding habits than to phylogeny. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feeding Organs in Hexapoda)
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25 pages, 3437 KiB  
Article
Filtration of Nutritional Fluids in the German Wasp Vespula germanica (Vespidae, Hymenoptera)
by Kenneth Kuba and Harald W. Krenn
Insects 2022, 13(2), 185; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13020185 - 10 Feb 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2767
Abstract
The mouthparts of Vespidae have evolved to forage various solid and liquid foods, such as animal prey, carbohydrate-rich fluids, as well as woody fibres for nest construction. Before nutritional fluids are ingested into the crop, bigger particles need to be filtered out. This [...] Read more.
The mouthparts of Vespidae have evolved to forage various solid and liquid foods, such as animal prey, carbohydrate-rich fluids, as well as woody fibres for nest construction. Before nutritional fluids are ingested into the crop, bigger particles need to be filtered out. This study examined the functional morphology of the mouthparts, the preoral cavity, and the proximal alimentary tract inside the head focusing on this filtration process. The feeding organs and preoral cavity were studied using µCT and SEM that were complimented by feeding experiments with glass beads in workers of Vespula germanica. To visualize fluid ingestion into the head and alimentary tract, barium sulfate solution was used as contrast agent; a method that is rarely applied in entomology. Experimental results indicate that large glass beads (>212 µm) were filtered by the mouthpart structures before entering the preoral cavity. Smaller glass beads (152–212 µm) were found inside the infrabuccal pocket in front of the mouth. Morphological evidence indicates that cuticle structures of the epipharynx, hypopharynx, and cibarium filter this particle size inside the preoral cavity while glass beads < 152 µm reach the crop. A double fluid filtration system is proposed that is formed by (1) bristles of the mouthparts and (2) microtrichia of the preoral cavity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feeding Organs in Hexapoda)
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13 pages, 2215 KiB  
Article
Nectar Uptake of a Long-Proboscid Prosoeca Fly (Nemestrinidae)—Proboscis Morphology and Flower Shape
by Harald W. Krenn, Florian Karolyi, Peter Lampert, Annalie Melin and Jonathan F. Colville
Insects 2021, 12(4), 371; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12040371 - 20 Apr 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3097
Abstract
Several Prosoeca (Nemestinidae) species use a greatly elongated proboscis to drink nectar from long-tubed flowers. We studied morphological adaptations for nectar uptake of Prosoecamarinusi that were endemic to the Northern Cape of South Africa. Our study site was a small isolated area [...] Read more.
Several Prosoeca (Nemestinidae) species use a greatly elongated proboscis to drink nectar from long-tubed flowers. We studied morphological adaptations for nectar uptake of Prosoecamarinusi that were endemic to the Northern Cape of South Africa. Our study site was a small isolated area of semi-natural habitat, where the long-tubed flowers of Babiana vanzijliae (Iridaceae) were the only nectar source of P. marinusi, and these flies were the only insects with matching proboscis. On average, the proboscis measured 32.63 ± 2.93 mm in length and less than 0.5 mm in diameter. The short labella at the tip are equipped with pseudotracheae that open at the apical margin, indicating that nectar is extracted out of the floral tube with closed labella. To quantify the available nectar resources, measurements of the nectar volume were taken before the flies were active and after observed flower visits. On average, an individual fly took up approximately 1 µL of nectar per flower visit. The measured nectar quantities and the flower geometry allowed estimations of the nectar heights and predictions of necessary proboscis lengths to access nectar in a range of flower tube lengths. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feeding Organs in Hexapoda)
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