Abstract:

Antennal sensilla of a bamboo-shoot noctuid, Apamea apameoides, were observed with a scanning electronic microscope (SEM). It was found that the female moth had eight types of sensilla, and the male moth had nine types. Altogether 16 types of sensilla including common types and dimorphic types were identified with two trichoids, two chaetics, two basiconics, three coeloconics, two auriculates, two styloconics, one cavitata-peg, one squamiformic and Bhm. AuriculateaⅠb and A.Ⅱb separately occurred on female and male's flagella, the morphology of A.Ⅰb type was similar to slender leaves, and the top of A.Ⅱb was bifurcated. CoeloconicaⅡand C.Ⅲ occurred only on male's antennae, C.Ⅱ was composed of one nakedly cone-shaped sensillum and without microtrichia around, C.Ⅲ had the same centric structure as C.Ⅱ but enclosed by double peripheral microtrichia. StyloconicaⅡ was morphologically much smaller than S.Ⅱ, and only occurred on female’s antennae. The antennae exhibited obvious sexual dimorphisme;one typical character was that the flagella of female moth were half-fused in some antennal segments, however not happened to the male moth.

Key words: scanning electronic microscope (SEM), Apamea apameoides, antennal sensilla, sexual dimorphism