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Journal of Experimental Biology 142,245-255 (1989)
Published by Company of Biologists 1989

The Role of Water in Tarsal Taste Thresholds to Sugar in the Blowfly Phormia Regina

ROBERT S. EDGECOMB 1, ANGELA R. PYLE 2, and LARRY L. MURDOCK 2

1 Department of Entomology, Purdue University West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
2 Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA

Thirsty blowflies whose tarsi come into contact with water will respond with proboscis extension. When flies were exposed to high or low relative humidities (RH) prior to testing, the tarsal taste thresholds to sucrose in flies that were unresponsive to water alone increased or decreased, respectively. Evidently, thirst can also be subthreshold and recognizable only as a change in threshold to aqueous sucrose.

Thresholds to sucrose and fructose, which were in the millimolar range in 3-day-old adult flies held at 55-70% RH prior to testing, fell significantly after the flies had been held at low humidity (13-20% RH) for several hours. There was no low-humidity-dependent drop in threshold with galactose or xylose, sugars to which flies normally have thresholds in the 102mmoll-1 range.

Flies held at low relative humidity exhibited increased tarsal thresholds to sucrose when they were injected with water or were allowed to drink water adlibitum. When multiple injections of water were given, thresholds rose after successive injections. Changes in threshold to sucrose occurred after injection with aqueous NaCl, the direction and magnitude being dependent on the concentration injected. The threshold declined significantly after injection of 2 µ1 of 75 mmoll-1 NaCl, remained unchanged after injection of 150 or 300 mmoll-1 NaCl, and increased after injection of 600 mmoll-1 NaCl.

Thirst in blowflies can affect thresholds to food stimuli. The changes in water content of the body resulting from a water-rich meal could contribute significantly to the normal post-meal rises in tarsal thresholds.

Key words: Phormia regina, feeding behaviour, blowfly, thirst, tarsal threshold

Accepted on August 22, 1988






© The Company of Biologists Ltd 1989