What controls the bimodal rhythm with peaks at dusk and dawn in the bugs?

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25660268
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Insect science
• Research Institution: National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences
• Principal Investigator: Shimoda Masami 国立研究開発法人農業生物資源研究所, 昆虫相互作用研究ユニット, ユニット長 (80344000)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 光受容 / 概日時計 / チャバネアオカメムシ / 走光性 / 活動リズム / 薄明薄暮性 / 複眼

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The stink bug, Plautia stali, is an important harmful insect of fruit garden including peach and plum in Japan. This bug exhibits a typical bimodal activity rhythm with peaks at dusk and dawn. We investigated what kind of light information controls this activity rhythm, especially the “twilight (super-dim light)” and “light wavelength”. The bug’s minute movement in a small plastic dish (4 cm -diameter) was monitored using an infrared actograph. As a result, the activity was excited by a low illumination than citizen twilight and it was indicated that the absorption wavelength of the specific light receptor stimulates the activity in this species.

Free Research Field

応用昆虫学