Topic
Sphingidae
About: Sphingidae is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 80 publications have been published within this topic receiving 1656 citations.
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
TL;DR: It is concluded that the biological activity of R is not related to the supply of FAs to the octadecanoid cascade for endogenous jasmonate biosynthesis, but that FACs elicit the herbivore-specific responses by another mechanism and that the insect-produced modification of plant-derived FAs is necessary for the plant's recognition of this specialized Herbivore.
Abstract: Feeding by the tobacco specialist Manduca sexta (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae) and application of larval oral secretions and regurgitant (R) to mechanical wounds are known to elicit: (a) a systemic release of mono- and sesquiterpenes, (b) a jasmonate burst, and (c) R-specific changes in transcript accumulation of putatively growth- and defense-related mRNAs in Nicotiana attenuata Torr. ex Wats. We identified several fatty acid-amino acid conjugates (FACs) in the R of M. sexta and the closely related species Manduca quinquemaculata which, when synthesized and applied to mechanical wounds at concentrations comparable with those found in R, elicited all three R-specific responses. Ion-exchange treatment of R, which removed all detectable FACs and free fatty acids (FAs), also removed all detectable activity. The biological activity of ion-exchanged R could be completely restored by the addition of synthetic FACs at R-equivalent concentrations, whereas the addition of FAs did not restore the biological activity of R. We conclude that the biological activity of R is not related to the supply of FAs to the octadecanoid cascade for endogenous jasmonate biosynthesis, but that FACs elicit the herbivore-specific responses by another mechanism and that the insect-produced modification of plant-derived FAs is necessary for the plant's recognition of this specialized herbivore.
533 citations
TL;DR: It is shown for the first time that CO2 may play an important role in the foraging behavior of nectar-feeding insects and that foraging Manduca moths prefer surrogate flowers that emit high levels of CO2, characteristic of newly opened Datura flowers.
Abstract: The hawkmoth Manduca sexta (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae), an experimentally favorable Lepidopteran that is highly sensitive to carbon dioxide (CO2), feeds on the nectar of a range of flowering plants, such as Datura wrightii (Solanaceae). Newly opened Datura flowers give off dramatically elevated levels of CO2 and offer ample nectar. Thus, floral CO2 emission could indicate food-source profitability. This study documents that foraging Manduca moths prefer surrogate flowers that emit high levels of CO2, characteristic of newly opened Datura flowers. We show for the first time that CO2 may play an important role in the foraging behavior of nectar-feeding insects.
125 citations
1 Jan 2022
TL;DR: Sphingidae biodiversity data collected in Malawi as part of the BID project "Strengthening Malawi's Biodiversity Information Facility."
Abstract: This is Sphingidae Biodiversity data collected by Raymond Murphy for various places in Malawi. It has been mobilised as part of a BID project titled Strengthening Malawi's Biodiversity Information Facility.
114 citations
TL;DR: The first sex pheromone of a Sphinx moth has been isolated from Manduca sexta with the aid of an electroantennogram assay and is attractive to males in a field test where its activity might be augmented by a second component in female extracts.
Abstract: The first sex pheromone of a Sphinx moth has been isolated from Manduca sexta (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) with the aid of an electroantennogram assay. It is attractive to males in a field test where its activity might be augmented by a second component in female extracts. Chemical tests and chromatographic properties identify the pheromone as a C₁₆-aldehyde with a pair of conjugated double bonds. (E , Z)-0,12-hexadecadienal, (“bombykal”) was identical with the natural product. The comparison includes chromatography on three different capillary columns and determination of specific activities in the electroantennogram test.
84 citations
TL;DR: Two new members of the FLRFamide family are characterized from midguts of parasitized larvae of Manduca sexta and may be intermediates in the biosynthesis of F10 and may themselves be released locally from endocrine/paracrine cells in the midgut epithelium.
57 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 13 |
| 2024 | 27 |
| 2023 | 26 |
| 2022 | 41 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2020 | 10 |