Studies on insect instinct behavior, selection of larval food.

黄剑蝶(Papilio Xutus)在用前腿尖击打叶片表面后，在十字花科叶片表面产卵。研究发现，5‘-对香豆酰奎宁酸、表儿茶素、橙皮苷和金丝桃素对蝴蝶产卵有诱导作用，并利用触角记录技术研究了雌性蝴蝶前腿感觉毛对寄主叶提取物的电反应。寄主叶片提取液可产生较高的动作电位，而非寄主叶片提取液的动作电位较低。一项使用产卵诱导剂的调查正在进行中。一项试验试图识别产卵诱导剂的受体。切下500只蝴蝶的前腿尖，提取总RNA。采用差异显示的方法，用DNA测序仪分析了在女性腿中丰富而在男性腿中较少的cDNA。其中一种被证明是p-450-细胞色素b氧化酶。人们正在寻找与化学受体相对应的cDNA。在凤蝶的腹部尖端有感光细胞。研究发现，雄性感光细胞是交配所必需的。另一方面，雌性感光细胞被证明是产卵行为所需。

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.