Studies on insect instinct behavior, selection of larval food.

黄剑凤蝶（Papilio xuthus）是一种利用前肢尖敲击芸香科植物叶片表面产卵的蝴蝶。蝴蝶前肢顶端的毛中含有化学感觉细胞，本研究发现5 ′-对香豆酰奎尼酸、表儿茶素、橙皮苷和金丝桃苷对蝴蝶产卵有诱导作用。寄主叶片提取物处理后，引起的动作电位较高，而非寄主叶片提取物处理后，引起的动作电位较低。一项使用产卵诱导化学物质的调查正在进行中，一项试验已经试图确定产卵诱导化学物质的受体。切下500只蝴蝶的前腿尖端，提取总RNA。通过差异显示方法，用DNA测序仪分析了在雌性腿中丰富而在雄性腿中较少的cDNA。其中一种是p-450-细胞色素B氧化酶。在凤蝶的腹部顶端有光感受细胞。结果发现，雄性光感受细胞是交配所必需的。另一方面，雌性光感受细胞是产卵行为所必需的。

Yellow sword butterfly, Papilio xuthus, lays eggs on the surface of Rutaceae leaf, after drumming the leaf surface by front leg tips. There are chemical sensory cells in the hair at the tip of the butterfly front leg.In the present study, it was found that 5'-p-coumaroylquinic acid, epicatechin, hesperidin and hyperin induce the oviposition of the butterfly.By use of the tip-recording technique, electric response of the sensory hairs of femal butterfly front leg to the extract of host leaves. High action potentials were produced when the extract of host leaves was applied whereas low action potentials occurred in response to the extract of non host leaves. An investigation using oviposition-inducing chemicals is under way.A trial has been attempted to identify receptors to oviposition-inducing chemicals. Front leg tips of 500 butterflies were cut out and total RNA was extracted. By differential display method cDNAs abundant in femal legs but much less in male legs were analyzed by a DNA sequencer. One of them turned out to be p-450-cytochrome b oxidase. cDNAs corresponding to chemical receptors are being sought for.There are light-receptive cells at the tip of the abdomen of Papilio butterfly. It was found that male light-receptive cells are necessary for copulation. On the other hand, female light-receptive cells were turned out to be needed for oviposition behavior.