Singh Narinderpal, Wang Changlu, Cooper Richard
Department of Entomology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2015 Mar 6;10(3):e0118855. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118855. eCollection 2015.
The role of olfactory cues such as carbon dioxide, pheromones, and kairomones in bed bug, Cimex lectularius L. behavior has been demonstrated. However, the role of vision and mechanoreception in bed bug behavior is poorly understood. We investigated bed bug vision by determining their responses to different colors, vertical objects, and their ability to detect colors and vertical objects under low and complete dark conditions. Results show black and red paper harborages are preferred compared to yellow, green, blue, and white harborages. A bed bug trapping device with a black or red exterior surface was significantly more attractive to bed bugs than that with a white exterior surface. Bed bugs exhibited strong orientation behavior toward vertical objects. The height (15 vs. 30 cm tall) and color (brown vs. black) of the vertical object had no significant effect on orientation behavior of bed bugs. Bed bugs could differentiate color and detect vertical objects at very low background light conditions, but not in complete darkness. Bed bug preference to different substrate textures (mechanoreception) was also explored. Bed bugs preferred dyed tape compared to painted tape, textured painted plastic, and felt. These results revealed that substrate color, presence of vertical objects, and substrate texture affect host-seeking and harborage-searching behavior of bed bugs. Bed bugs may use a combination of vision, mechanoreception, and chemoreception to locate hosts and seek harborages.
二氧化碳、信息素和异种信息素等嗅觉线索在臭虫（温带臭虫）行为中的作用已得到证实。然而，视觉和机械感受在臭虫行为中的作用却鲜为人知。我们通过测定臭虫对不同颜色、垂直物体的反应以及它们在低光照和完全黑暗条件下检测颜色和垂直物体的能力，对臭虫的视觉进行了研究。结果表明，与黄色、绿色、蓝色和白色藏身处相比，臭虫更喜欢黑色和红色纸张藏身处。一个外表面为黑色或红色的臭虫诱捕装置比外表面为白色的诱捕装置对臭虫的吸引力明显更大。臭虫对垂直物体表现出强烈的定向行为。垂直物体的高度（15厘米与30厘米高）和颜色（棕色与黑色）对臭虫的定向行为没有显著影响。臭虫能够在极低的背景光照条件下区分颜色并检测垂直物体，但在完全黑暗中则无法做到。我们还探究了臭虫对不同基质质地（机械感受）的偏好。与涂漆胶带、有纹理的涂漆塑料和毛毡相比，臭虫更喜欢染色胶带。这些结果表明，基质颜色、垂直物体的存在以及基质质地会影响臭虫寻找宿主和藏身之处的行为。臭虫可能会综合运用视觉、机械感受和化学感受来定位宿主并寻找藏身之处。
