Bast Elaine M, Marshall Natalie T, Myers Kendall O, Marsh Lucas W, Hurtado Martin Walschburger, Van Zandt Peter A, Lehnert Matthew S
Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University at Stark, North Canton, OH, USA.
Department of Biology, Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Interface Focus. 2024 Apr 12;14(2):20230051. doi: 10.1098/rsfs.2023.0051. eCollection 2024 Apr 15.
Insects have evolved unique structures that host a diversity of material and mechanical properties, and the mouthparts (proboscis) of butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) are no exception. Here, we examined proboscis morphology and material properties from several previously unstudied moth lineages to determine if they relate to flower visiting and non-flower visiting feeding habits. Scanning electron microscopy and three-dimensional imaging were used to study proboscis morphology and assess surface roughness patterns on the galeal surface, respectively. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to study patterns of cuticular autofluorescence, which was quantified with colour analysis software. We found that moth proboscises display similar autofluorescent signals and morphological patterns in relation to feeding habits to those previously described for flower and non-flower visiting butterflies. The distal region of proboscises of non-flower visitors is brush-like for augmented capillarity and exhibited blue autofluorescence, indicating the possible presence of resilin and increased flexibility. Flower visitors have smoother proboscises and show red autofluorescence, an indicator of high sclerotization, which is adaptive for floral tube entry. We propose the lepidopteran proboscis as a model structure for understanding how insects have evolved a suite of morphological and material adaptations to overcome the challenges of acquiring fluids from diverse sources.
昆虫已经进化出具有多种材料和机械特性的独特结构，蝴蝶和飞蛾（鳞翅目）的口器（喙）也不例外。在这里，我们研究了几个此前未被研究过的蛾类谱系的喙形态和材料特性，以确定它们是否与访花和非访花的取食习性有关。分别使用扫描电子显微镜和三维成像来研究喙形态和评估盖表面的表面粗糙度模式。共聚焦激光扫描显微镜用于研究表皮自发荧光模式，并使用颜色分析软件对其进行量化。我们发现，蛾类的喙在取食习性方面表现出与先前描述的访花和非访花蝴蝶相似的自发荧光信号和形态模式。非访花者的喙的远端区域呈刷状，以增强毛细作用，并呈现蓝色自发荧光，表明可能存在弹性蛋白且柔韧性增加。访花者的喙更光滑，并呈现红色自发荧光，这是高度硬化的指标，有利于进入花管。我们提出将鳞翅目昆虫的喙作为一个模型结构，以了解昆虫如何进化出一系列形态和材料适应性，以克服从不同来源获取液体的挑战。
