Meeting Abstract

23.8  Saturday, Jan. 4 15:00  Functional Morphology of Antennal Sensory Organs of the House Cricket, Acheta domesticus (L.) SHIELDS, V.D.C.*; CHARLES, C.D.; ARNOLD, N.S.; Towson University; Towson University; Towson University vshields@towson.edu

House crickets, Acheta domesticus (L.), have paired antennae that bear many sensory organs (sensilla). These sensilla allow them to gain information about olfactory, gustatory, and mechanosensory cues pertaining to their environment. Both antennae of male and female crickets bear, on average, more than 200 segments. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy studies revealed seven antennal sensillum types. Four types bear external morphological features suggestive of olfactory sensilla. Two of these types resemble short to medium-sized pegs with their cuticular shafts perforated by conspicuous pores, while another resembles a short peg with longitudinal ridges or “fingers”. Another type resembles a short peg recessed in a deep pit. The antennae also bear two sensillum types suggestive of a mechanosensory function. One of these types resembles a long hair-like sensillum with conspicuous ridges and an aporous cuticular shaft, while the other resembles a small circular depression on the antennal surface. We found one medium-sized sensillum type bearing diagonal circular ridges and a single terminal pore suggestive of a gustatory function. This study complements our behavioral and electroantennographic bioassays to screen a large panel of ecologically-relevant volatiles.