The proprioceptive function of a campaniform sensillum is to perceive stresses and changing forces on the cuticle, facilitating insect locomotion including walking and flight. In the aphid genus Mindarus (Hemiptera: Aphididae), campaniform sensilla are often clustered in groups and are found at specific locations on the insect's appendages. Ring-shaped, approximately 5µm in diameter, these sensilla are found in predictable numbers on the pedicel (1), the trochanter (4), the femur (2–4), and the distitarsus (1). Those situated on the wings are variable in number and size. The wing sensilla form five identifiable groups: four on the forewing and one on the hindwing, with an average of 4 or 6 sensilla per group. Light and electron scanning microscopy was conducted to reveal their external anatomical detail. The pattern and distribution of campaniform sensilla does not appear to inform Mindarus taxonomy.
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Entomological News
Vol. 126 • No. 3
December 2016
Vol. 126 • No. 3
December 2016
Acyrthosiphon pisum
Anatomy
Mindarinae
morphology
proprioception
Sternorrhyncha
wing