Olfaction
Guides
Blastophaga psenes
Common Fig Wasp
Blastophaga psenes is a minute chalcidoid wasp, approximately 2 mm in length, and the obligate pollinator of Ficus carica (common fig) and Ficus palmata. Females are winged, black, and shiny; males are smaller, wingless, and do not disperse from the fig. The species exhibits extreme sexual dimorphism and a highly specialized mutualistic relationship with its host figs. Adults live only a few days to weeks, breeding exclusively within fig syconia without constructing nests or colonies. The species is native to the Palaearctic region and has been introduced globally to support commercial fig cultivation.
Dacne picta
Dacne picta is a small beetle in the family Erotylidae (pleasing fungus beetles). It has been documented as a major pest of cultivated shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes), with laboratory studies demonstrating chemotactic behavioral responses to host odors from all growing stages of the mushroom. The species has a broad geographic distribution spanning North America, Oceania, and Southern Asia.
Diorhabda
tamarisk beetle, saltcedar leaf beetle
Diorhabda is a genus of leaf beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Galerucinae. Most species within the genus feed on Tamarix (tamarisk or saltcedar), though at least one species, D. tarsalis, is a pest of Chinese licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis). The genus is native to Europe and Asia, with several species introduced to North America as biological control agents for invasive Tamarix. The D. elongata species group comprises five sibling species specialized on Tamarix: D. elongata, D. carinata, D. sublineata, D. carinulata, and D. meridionalis.
Macrosiphoniella sanborni
Chrysanthemum Aphid, Brown Chrysanthemum Aphid
Macrosiphoniella sanborni, the chrysanthemum aphid, is a phloem-feeding aphid in the family Aphididae. It is an oligophagous pest specialized on Chrysanthemum species and a major economic threat to chrysanthemum cultivation. The species exhibits wing dimorphism, with alate (winged) and apterous (wingless) morphs showing distinct chemosensory gene expression profiles. It vectors chrysanthemum viruses including vein mottle virus and virus B.
Ophraella communa
ragweed leaf beetle
Ophraella communa is a small leaf beetle native to North America that has been introduced to Europe and Asia as a biological control agent for the invasive weed common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia). Adults and larvae feed on leaves and flowers of Asteraceae, with a strong preference for ragweed. The species has demonstrated rapid adaptive evolution of cold tolerance in newly colonized regions, facilitating northward expansion. Multiple mating is positively associated with fitness in this species, with females preferring larger males that confer reproductive advantages through seminal fluid proteins.