Contact chemoreception

In S. gregaria, immunocytochemical experiments showed selective CSP labeling of the outer lymph in diverse chemosensory organs, including contact sensilla of tarsi, maxillary palps, and antennae. However, in antennae, only sensilla chaetica were labeled with no labeling observed in olfactory or coeloconic sensilla (Angeli et al., 1999), suggesting a role for CSPs in contact chemoreception in Orthoptera. 

Renee, B. and Loher, W. (1977). Contact chemoreceptive sex recognition in the male cricket, Teleogryllus commodus. Physiological Entomol., 2, 225 - 236. 

Stadler, E. (1984). Contact chemoreception. In Chemical Ecology of Insects, ed. W. J. Bell and R. T. Carde. London Chapman and Hall, pp. 3-35. 

Among the cockroaches, two chemical releasers of sexual behavior have been recently characterized. Females of Blattella germanica produce two sex pheromones, both of which appear to be active by contact chemoreception. One of these compounds, 3,11-dimethyl -2-nonacosanone, produces wing raising in the male and is perceived through antennal chemoreceptors (30). The absolute configuration of this diastereomeric ketone has not been determined. 

The matching dichotomy of sensilla construction and neuroanatomical organization of sensory neuropils suggests that in crustaceans chemical information is received and processed in two fundamentally different modes. One mode is Olfaction which we define as chemoreception mediated by the aesthetasc - OL pathway the second mode is Distributed Chemoreception, which we define as chemoreception mediated by bimodal sensilla on all appendages and the associated striated neuropils that serve as local motor centers. Distributed chemoreception not only comprises taste, which we define as contact chemoreception in the context of... 

Contact Chemoreception and Its Role in Zooplankton Mate Recognition... 

This review will stress the ecological point of view of contact chemoreception. Morphological and strictly physiological aspects will be omitted if they are not related directly to the behavior and ecology of insects. 

Mclver et al. (1980) have recently observed a unique contact chemoreceptive sensillum, the bifurcate sensilla on the tarsi of the female black fly (Simulidae). This type of sensillum has characteristics of a contact chemoreceptor, although a sieve-like structure in the pore region, which increases the absorptive surface area at the tip, suggests a secondarily acquired olfactory function. 

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