Electrophysiological responses of tarsal contact chemoreceptors of the apple maggot flyRhagoletis pomonella to salt, sucrose and oviposition-deterrent pheromone

Summary

The responses of contact chemosensory sensilla on the tarsi of the apple maggot fly,Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh), to a range of concentrations of salt, sucrose and oviposition-deterrent pheromone were studied (Fig. 1). Examination of dose-response curves (Fig. 2), short- and long-term adaptation (Figs. 3+4, Table 1) and impulse height and duration (Fig. 5, Table 2) indicated that each stimulant elicited a characteristic response. Stimulation with mixtures of the solutions demonstrated that salt, sucrose and the pheromone each excites a different sensory cell (Fig. 6). A cell which does not respond to a stimulant with impulses may, nevertheless, be affected by that stimulant (Fig. 7).