Author ORCID Identifier
Bethia H. King https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0435-5928
Panchalie B. Gunathunga https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6794-5198
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Journal of Insect Science
Abstract
The insect equivalent of taste buds are gustatory sensilla, which have been found on mouthparts, pharynxes, antennae, legs, wings, and ovipositors. Most gustatory sensilla are uniporous, but not all apparently uniporous sensilla are gustatory. Among sensilla containing more than one neuron, a tubular body on one dendrite is also indicative of a taste sensillum, with the tubular body adding tactile function. But not all taste sensilla are also tactile. Additional morphological criteria are often used to recognize if a sensillum is gustatory. Further confirmation of such criteria by electrophysiological or behavioral evidence is needed. The five canonical taste qualities to which insects respond are sweet, bitter, sour, salty, and umami. But not all tastants that insects respond to easily fit in these taste qualities. Categories of insect tastants can be based not only on human taste perception, but also on whether the response is deterrent or appetitive and on chemical structure. Other compounds that at least some insects taste include, but are not limited to: water, fatty acids, metals, carbonation, RNA, ATP, pungent tastes as in horseradish, bacterial lipopolysaccharides, and contact pheromones. We propose that, for insects, taste be defined not only as a response to nonvolatiles but also be restricted to responses that are, or are thought to be, mediated by a sensillum. This restriction is useful because some of the receptor proteins in gustatory sensilla are also found elsewhere.
First Page
11
DOI
10.1093/jisesa/iead018.
Publication Date
2023
Recommended Citation
King BH & Gunathunga PB (2023) Gustation in insects: taste qualities and types of evidence used to show taste function of specific body parts. Journal of Insect Science 23: 11. doi:10.1093/jisesa/iead018.
Original Citation
King BH & Gunathunga PB (2023) Gustation in insects: taste qualities and types of evidence used to show taste function of specific body parts. Journal of Insect Science 23: 11. doi:10.1093/jisesa/iead018.
Department
Department of Biological Sciences
Sponsorship
Northern Illinois University funds to finish writing and publishing this review.
