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Morphology of the olfactory system in the predatory mite Phytoseiulus Persimilis

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Abstract

The predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis locates its prey, the two-spotted spider mite, by means of herbivore-induced plant volatiles. The olfactory response to this quantitatively and qualitatively variable source of information is particularly well documented. The mites perform this task with a peripheral olfactory system that consists of just five putative olfactory sensilla that reside in a dorsal field at the tip of their first pair of legs. The receptor cells innervate a glomerular olfactory lobe just ventral of the first pedal ganglion. We have made a 3D reconstruction of the caudal half of the olfactory lobe in adult females. The glomerular organization as well as the glomerular innervation appears conserved across different individuals. The adult females have, by approximation, a 1:1 ratio of olfactory receptor cells to olfactory glomeruli.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Section Population Biology, University of Amsterdam, Kruislaan 320, 1098, SM, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Michiel van Wijk & Maurice W. Sabelis

  2. Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Centre for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, Kruislaan 320, 1098, SM, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Wytse J. Wadman

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  1. Michiel van Wijk
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  2. Wytse J. Wadman
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  3. Maurice W. Sabelis
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Correspondence to Michiel van Wijk.

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van Wijk, M., Wadman, W.J. & Sabelis, M.W. Morphology of the olfactory system in the predatory mite Phytoseiulus Persimilis . Exp Appl Acarol 40, 217–229 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-006-9038-x

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