Compound Eye Structure and Phototactic Dimorphism in the Yunnan Pine Shoot Beetle, <i>Tomicus yunnanensis</i> (Coleoptera: Scolytinae).

ABSTRACT: Tomicus yunnanensis, a notorious forest pest in southwest China, primarily employs infochemicals to coordinate mass attacks that overcome host tree defenses. However, secondary visual cues, particularly detection of host color changes, also aid host location. This study characterized the compound eye structure and vision of T. yunnanensis using electron microscopy and phototaxis tests. The apposition eye contains 224-266 ommatidia, with asymmetry between left and right. Quadrilateral facets occupy the dorsal third, while hexagonal facets dominate elsewhere. Each ommatidium comprises a large corneal lens, an acone-type crystalline cone from four cone cells, and an open-type rhabdom formed by eight retinular cells (R7-R8 centrally, R1-R6 peripherally), surrounded by two primary

SUBMITTER: Xie H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12383413 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature