Chemoreception
Guides
Callidiellum villosulum
A small longhorn beetle (Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Callidiini) characterized by sexual dimorphism in mouthpart morphology. Adult females possess larger labial and maxillary palps with more developed sensilla basiconica IV, sensilla campaniformia, and sensilla chaetica II, structures associated with oviposition site selection. Males exhibit more developed sensilla basiconica I, potentially involved in mate recognition. The species has been subject to detailed scanning electron microscopy studies of its chemosensory and mechanosensory mouthpart structures.
Canthidium
Canthidium is a genus of small dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae, containing at least 170 described species. Species in this genus are primarily neotropical and exhibit a characteristic "sit and wait" foraging strategy, perching on leaves to detect dung through chemoreception. They are classified as tunnelers, constructing burrows beneath dung deposits. Their small body size (often under 10 mm) influences their foraging ecology and resource partitioning strategies within diverse dung beetle communities.
Chanbria
camel spiders, sun spiders
Chanbria is a genus of camel spiders (order Solifugae) established by Martin H. Muma in 1951. It comprises four recognized species endemic to the Sonoran Desert region of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Adults measure 20–30 mm and possess distinctive fan-shaped malleoli on the hind legs containing approximately 72,000 sensory neurons each. Juveniles exhibit specialized fossorial hunting behavior, using tactile and chemical cues to locate prey beneath sand.
Conophthorus
cone beetles
Conophthorus is a genus of bark beetles in the family Curculionidae comprising approximately 10 described species. Species are specialized on Pinus hosts, with most attacking pine cones and seeds, though some infest shoot tips. The genus includes economically significant pests of pine seed orchards and natural forests, causing cone abortion and reducing seed production. Life histories vary among species: some are univoltine while others are bivoltine, with corresponding differences in seasonal development and host utilization patterns.
Dasymutilla scaevola
Dasymutilla scaevola is a velvet ant species native to North America, widely distributed across the eastern half of the continent. Like other mutillids, females are wingless while males possess wings. The species is a parasitoid wasp that develops within the cocoons of other ground-nesting Hymenoptera. Research has demonstrated that females locate host nests primarily through contact chemoreception of chemical cues from host cocoons and nest materials, rather than visual cues.
Hylurgops palliatus
Hylurgops palliatus is a bark beetle in the family Curculionidae that colonizes coniferous trees, primarily spruce (Picea) and pine (Pinus) species. It is a secondary bark beetle, meaning it attacks weakened, dying, or recently dead trees rather than healthy ones. The species uses host-specific monoterpene chemical cues to locate and select appropriate host trees. It vectors various fungi, including ophiostomatoid species, which play roles in its ecology and tree colonization.
Latreutes
Latreutes is a genus of marine shrimp in the family Hippolytidae. Species within this genus exhibit distinct reproductive strategies, with documented cases of consecutive breeding and seasonal reproductive peaks. Some species, such as L. fucorum, form mutualistic associations with pelagic Sargassum algae, while others inhabit benthic marine environments. The genus shows variation in habitat preference across species, from Sargassum-associated pelagic habitats to seagrass meadows and coastal waters.
Plagiodera
willow leaf beetles
Plagiodera is a genus of leaf beetles in the subfamily Chrysomelinae, containing approximately six recognized species distributed across the Holarctic region. The genus is best known for Plagiodera versicolora, commonly called the imported willow leaf beetle, which has been introduced to North America from Europe and is a significant pest of willow and poplar species. Members of this genus are specialized herbivores of Salicaceae, with well-documented chemical ecology and host-plant interactions.
Portunus sayi
Sargassum Swimming Crab
Portunus sayi is a pelagic swimming crab endemic to floating Sargassum seaweed mats in the western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. It exhibits specialized adaptations for swimming, including paddle-shaped fourth legs that enable rapid sideways movement. The species relies on chemical, visual, and tactile cues to locate and select host Sargassum patches, demonstrating strong host fidelity. Recent records from the Amazon continental shelf represent the northernmost observation in Brazilian waters, expanding its known range.
Thalassotrechus barbarae
Thalassotrechus barbarae is an intertidal ground beetle in the family Carabidae. The species is specialized for life in rocky intertidal crevices, where it exhibits sophisticated habitat recognition behavior mediated by sediment chemistry and physical properties. It has been documented from the Pacific coast of North America from California to Mexico.