Scientia Agricultura Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 59 ›› Issue (15): 3340-3351.doi: 10.3864/j.issn.0578-1752.2026.15.008

• PLANT PROTECTION • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Sexual Dimorphism in Phototactic Behavior and Dynamic Transcriptional Regulation of Opsins in Myllocerinus aurolineatus

FU NanXia(), YUAN JinKang, LUO ZongXiu, LI ZhaoQun, BIAN Lei, XIU ChunLi, ZHOU Li, CHEN ZongMao, CAI XiaoMing()   

  1. Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Biology, Genetics and Breeding of Special Economic Animals and Plants, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hangzhou 310008
  • Received:2026-03-20 Accepted:2026-04-25 Online:2026-08-01 Published:2026-08-03
  • Contact: CAI XiaoMing

RichHTML

3

PDF

5

Abstract:

【Background】Phototaxis is widely utilized to monitor and control pest populations in agricultural practices. Tea weevil (Myllocerinus aurolineatus) is a server regional outbreak tea pest in Chinese tea plantations, and its control currently relies heavily on chemical pesticides. Previous studies have shown that adults of M. aurolineatus exhibit strong phototaxis at night.【Objective】To lay basis for developing light-based management strategies, this study clarified the effects of different light spectra on the phototactic behavior of male and female M. aurolineatus, and further revealed the regulatory effects of different light stimuli on the transcriptional expression of their opsin genes.【Method】Firstly, to reveal the phototactic characteristic of this pest, phototaxis of female and male adult M. aurolineatus to eight types of monochromatic light was tested through behavioral choice experiments. Subsequently, bioinformatic analysis was performed to identify opsin genes in M. aurolineatus, and a phylogenetic tree of identified opsins along with those from other insect species was constructed using the neighbor-joining method. Finally, the spatiotemporal expression profiles of opsin genes were examined across different developmental stages, under circadian rhythm, and various light stimuli using quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR).【Result】Behavioral assays revealed that violet light elicited the highest attractiveness to males and was the second preferred wavelength for females, surpassed only by red light. In contrast, the blue light was the least attractive to both sexes. Moreover, the phototaxis rates of males to yellow, green and blue light were significantly higher than those of females. Bioinformatic analysis showed M. aurolineatus contains only two opsin genes, a long-wavelength-sensitive opsin (Ma-LW) and an ultraviolet-sensitive opsin (Ma-UV); no blue-light-sensitive opsin gene was detected, which was in accordance with the lowest phototactic rate to blue light observed in behavioral assays. Spatiotemporal expression profiling showed that both Ma-LW and Ma-UV were highly expressed in adults, with no significant difference throughout the light-dark cycle. Furthermore, dark adaptation up-regulated both Ma-LW and Ma-UV expression in M. aurolineatus adults, while subsequent short-term light stimuli (red, blue and violet) significantly reversed this up-regulation. Among these, red light exerted significantly stronger suppressive effect on Ma-LW expressional abundance than blue or violet light, while no significant difference in suppressive effect on Ma-UV expression was detected among the three lights.【Conclusion】Sexual dimorphism is evident in the phototactic behavior of adult M. aurolineatus, and exposure to different light spectra can down-regulate opsin gene transcription in dark-adapted M. aurolineatus, these findings contribute to the development of light-based M. aurolineatus management strategies.

Key words: tea weevil (Myllocerinus aurolineatus), phototaxis, spectral sensitivity, long-wavelength-sensitive opsin (Ma-LW), ultraviolet-sensitive opsin (Ma-UV)

Table 1

Spectral information of LEDs used to test the phototactic behavior of adult M. aurolineatus"

LED光源LED light 波长范围Wavelength range (nm)
红光Red light 620-625
橙光Orange light 600-610
黄光Yellow light 585-590
黄绿光Yellowish green light 569-574
绿光Green light 520-525
冰蓝光Icy blue light 480-485
蓝光Blue light 460-465
紫光Violet light 395-400

Fig. 1

Schematic diagram of the device for observing phototactic behavior"

Table 2

Primer sequences"

引物名称Primer name 序列Sequence (5'-3')
Ma-LW_F ATGTCTGTGATGGGAGATC
Ma-LW_R TTATGCTGCTGGTTTGTC
Ma-UV_F ATGAGTTTGCAAAACTGGAC
Ma-UV_R TTATGTAGCGACTGAAGGTG
Ma-LW_Fq TCACCAGAGATGTTGTCAGTCG
Ma-LW_Rq TTTTCGTGTGCAGCTACAGC
Ma-UV_Fq ATGGGTTTGCAACTGGACAC
Ma-UV_Rq ACGGCCTTGTTATGGTTGTG
EF1a_F ATTACTGGCACGTCTCAAGC
EF1a_R TCGCGTTTGCCCATTCTTTG
Actin_F AAACGAAAGGTTCCGTTGCC
Actin_R ACTGTGTTGGCGTACAAGTC

Fig. 2

Phototactic responses of M. aurolineatus adults to different LED lights In figure A, B, M. aurolineatus numbers in phototactic and photophobic chambers were analyzed with chi-square test for assessing deviation from random distribution (*** P<0.001), numbers in parentheses indicated the count of M. aurolineatus that made a choice and the total number tested, respectively; In figure C, data were mean±standard deviation (SD), the effects of wavelength, sex and their interaction on phototactic rates were analyzed using GLMM with binary distribution, followed by Holm’s sequential Bonferroni adjusted pairwise comparisons. Different uppercases (male) and lowercases (female) above columns indicated significant differences among wavelengths within the same sex (P<0.05). Asterisks denoted significant differences between sexes under the same wavelength (* P<0.05, *** P<0.001)"

Fig. 3

Phylogenetic relationship of M. aurolineatus opsins with other known insect opsins The tree was constructed using amino acid sequences with the neighbor-joining method. GenBank accession numbers were shown in parentheses. Bootstrap support values were provided at node"

Fig. 4

Expression pattern of M. aurolineatus opsin genes across developmental stages and diurnal rhythm Data were mean±SD (n=3). Different lowercases indicated significant differences of relative mRNA abundance of either Ma-LW or Ma-UV among development stages (P<0.05, one-way ANOVA, Tukey’s HSD test). Asterisks indicated significant differences of opsins between sexes at ZT0 and ZT16 (* P <0.05, Student’s T-test). ZT: zeitgeber time. The black-white rectangle bars indicated the light availability, white (light on, from ZT0 to ZT16), and black (light off, from ZT16 to ZT0)"

Fig. 5

Effects of different light stimulation on opsin gene expression in M. aurolineatus Data were mean±SD (n=3). Differences in relative abundance were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, followed by a Tukey’s HSD test. Different lowercases on the columns indicated significant differences (P<0.05)"

[1]
付楠霞, 罗宗秀, 李兆群, 边磊, 修春丽, 周利, 陈宗懋, 蔡晓明. 茶丽纹象甲形态特征及生物学习性研究[J]. 昆虫学报, 2025, 68(2): 174-183.
Fu N X, Luo Z X, Li Z Q, Bian L, Xiu C L, Zhou L, Chen Z M, Cai X M. Morphological and biological characteristics of the tea weevil, Myllocerinus aurolineatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)[J]. Acta Entomologica Sinica, 2025, 68(2): 174-183.(in Chinese)
[2]
Sun X, Zhang X, Wu G, Li X, Liu F, Xin Z, Zhang J. n-Pentacosane acts as both contact and volatile pheromone in the tea weevil, Myllocerinus aurolineatus [J]. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 2017, 43(6): 557-562.
[3]
Fu N, Wang T, Li Q, Luo Z, Li Z, Bian L, Xiu C, Chen Z, Cai X. Identification and biocontrol potential evaluation of a naturally occurring Metarhizium pingshaense isolate infecting tea weevil Myllocerinus aurolineatus Voss (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)[J]. Egyptian Journal of Biological Pest Control, 2023, 33(1): 101.
[4]
Wang Y, Chang Y, Zhang S, Jiang X, Yang B, Wang G. Comparison of phototactic behavior between two migratory pests, Helicoverpa armigera and Spodoptera frugiperda [J]. Insects, 2022, 13(10): 917.
[5]
Yang H, Lu J, Zhu P, Sun Y, Hu Z, Li D, Huang J. Blue light attracts more Spodoptera frugiperda moths and promotes their flight speed[J]. Insects, 2024, 15(2): 129.
[6]
Shang X K, Pan X H, Liu W, Wei J L, Huang C H, Goebel F R, Nikpay A. Effect of spectral sensitivity and light intensity response on the phototactic behavior of Exolontha castanea Chang (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae), a pest of sugarcane in China[J]. Agronomy, 2022, 12(2): 481.
[7]
Cui M, Wu Y, Xia L, Xue D, Wang Z. Phototactic responses of three species of Cryptolestes (Coleoptera: Laemophloeidae) to different wavelengths of light[J]. Journal of Entomological Science, 2023, 58(1): 85-94.
[8]
Kumar S, Pandey A K, Anokhe A. Response of light traps to attract various species of Scarabaeid beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)[J]. International Journal of Tropical Insect Science, 2025, 45(2): 635-648.
[9]
王丽丽, 栾炳辉, 王洪涛, 王培松, 高兴祥, 刘保友. 两种诱虫灯下亚洲玉米螟种群动态及迁飞状态分析[J]. 中国农业科学, 2024, 57(20): 4071-4081. DOI: 10.3864/j.issn.0578-1752.2024.20.012.
Wang L L, Luan B H, Wang H T, Wang P S, Gao X X, Liu B Y. Analysis of population dynamics and migration status of Ostrinia furnacalis under searchlight trap and ground light-trap[J]. Scientia Agricultura Sinica, 2024, 57(20): 4071-4081. DOI: 10.3864/j.issn.0578-1752.2024.20.012.(in Chinese)
[10]
van der Kooi C J, Stavenga D G, Arikawa K, Belusic G, Kelber A. Evolution of insect color vision: From spectral sensitivity to visual ecology[J]. Annual Review of Entomology, 2021, 66: 435-461.
[11]
Randel N, Jekely G. Phototaxis and the origin of visual eyes[J]. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 2016, 371(1685): 20150042.
[12]
Henze M J, Dannenhauer K, Kohler M, Labhart T, Gesemann M. Opsin evolution and expression in arthropod compound eyes and ocelli: Insights from the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus[J]. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 2012, 12(1): 163.
[13]
Kojima K. Molecular diversity of photosensitive protein opsins and their high potential for optogenetic applications[J]. Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 2024, 47(10): 1600-1609.
[14]
Qiu K R, Wang K, Dai Y F, An H M, Huang Q Y, Zhu F, Liu W, Wang X P. UV2 and LW opsin genes mediate phototactic responses in the Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis [J]. Insect Science, DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.70147.
[15]
Cronin T W, Porter M L. The evolution of invertebrate photopigments and photoreceptors[M]//Evolution of Visual and Non-visual Pigments. Boston, MA: Springer, 2014: 105-135.
[16]
Mulhair P O, Crowley L, Boyes D H, Lewis O T, Holland P W H. Opsin gene duplication in lepidoptera: Retrotransposition, sex linkage, and gene expression[J]. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2023, 40(11): msad241.
[17]
Feuda R, Goulty M, Zadra N, Gasparetti T, Rosato E, Pisani D, Rizzoli A, Segata N, Ometto L, Stabelli O R. Phylogenomics of opsin genes in Diptera reveals lineage-specific events and contrasting evolutionary dynamics in Anopheles and Drosophila[J]. Genome Biology and Evolution, 2021, 13(8): evab170.
[18]
Lord N P, Plimpton R L, Sharkey C R, Suvorov A, Lelito J P, Willardson B M, Bybee S M. A cure for the blues: Opsin duplication and subfunctionalization for short-wavelength sensitivity in jewel beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)[J]. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 2016, 16(1): 107.
[19]
Jackowska M, Bao R, Liu Z, McDonald E C, Cook T A, Friedrich M. Genomic and gene regulatory signatures of cryptozoic adaptation: Loss of blue sensitive photoreceptors through expansion of long wavelength-opsin expression in the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum[J]. Frontiers in Zoology, 2007, 4(1): 24.
[20]
Tierney S M, Cooper S J, Saint K M, Bertozzi T, Hyde J, Humphreys W F, Austin A D. Opsin transcripts of predatory diving beetles: A comparison of surface and subterranean photic niches[J]. Royal Society Open Science, 2015, 2(1): 140386.
[21]
Sharkey C R, Blanco J, Lord N P, Wardill T J. Jewel beetle opsin duplication and divergence is the mechanism for diverse spectral sensitivities[J]. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2023, 40(2): msad023.
[22]
Wu M, Bao R, Friedrich M. Evolutionary conservation of opsin gene expression patterns in the compound eyes of darkling beetles[J]. Development Genes and Evolution, 2020, 230(5/6): 339-345.
[23]
Sharkey C R, Fujimoto M S, Lord N P, Shin S, McKenna D D, Suvorov A, Martin G J, Bybee S M. Overcoming the loss of blue sensitivity through opsin duplication in the largest animal group, beetles[J]. Scientific Reports, 2017, 7(1): 8.
[24]
Bustin S A, Vandesompele J, Pfaffl M W. Standardization of qPCR and RT-qPCR[J]. Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, 2009, 29(14): 40-43.
[25]
Livak K J, Schmittgen T D. Analysis of relative gene expression data using real-time quantitative PCR and the 2-ΔΔCt method[J]. Methods, 2001, 25(4): 402-408.
[26]
Kim K N, Huang Q Y, Lei C L. Advances in insect phototaxis and application to pest management: A review[J]. Pest Management Science, 2019, 75(12): 3135-3143.
[27]
Jeon J H, Oh M S, Cho K S, Lee H S. Phototactic response of the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae Linnaeus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), to light-emitting diodes[J]. Journal of the Korean Society for Applied Biological Chemistry, 2012, 55(1): 35-39.
[28]
Nakamoto Y, Kuba H. The effectiveness of a green light emitting diode (LED) trap at capturing the west Indian sweet potato weevil, Euscepes postfasciatus Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in a sweet potato field[J]. Applied Entomology and Zoology, 2004, 39(3): 491-495.
[29]
Theobald J. Insect vision: A steady gaze over different landscapes[J]. Current Biology, 2024, 34(20): R931-R933.
[30]
Lin J T. Identification of photoreceptor locations in the compound eye of Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae)[J]. Journal of Insect Physiology, 1993, 39(7): 555-562.
[31]
Lin J T, Wu C Y. A comparative study on the color vision of four coleopterous insects[J]. Bulletin of the Institute of Zoology, Academia Sinica, 1992, 31(2): 81-88.
[32]
Döring T F, Skorupski P. Host and non-host leaves in the colour space of the Colorado potato beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)[J]. Entomologia Generalis, 2007, 29: 81-95.
[33]
Langille B L, Hyde J, Saint K M, Bradford T M, Stringer D N, Tierney S M, Humphreys W F, Austin A D, Cooper S J B. Evidence for speciation underground in diving beetles (Dytiscidae) from a subterranean archipelago[J]. Evolution, 2021, 75(1): 166-175.
[34]
Emerling C A. Regressed but not gone: Patterns of vision gene loss and retention in subterranean mammals[J]. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 2018, 58(3): 441-451.
[35]
Liu Y J, Yan S, Shen Z J, Li Z, Zhang X F, Liu X M, Zhang Q W, Liu X X. The expression of three opsin genes and phototactic behavior of Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): Evidence for visual function of opsin in phototaxis[J]. Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2018, 96: 27-35.
[36]
Shukolyukov S A, Denisova N A. Opsin biosynthesis and trans-cis isomerization of aldehyde form chromophore in the blowfly Calliphora erythrocephala eye[J]. Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 1992, 22(8): 925-935.
[37]
Huang M, Meng J Y, Zhou L, Yu C, Zhang C Y. Expression and function of opsin genes associated with phototaxis in Zeugodacus cucurbitae Coquillett (Diptera: Tephritidae)[J]. Pest Management Science, 2023, 79(11): 4490-4500.
[38]
Jiang W Q, Meng J Y, Liu G M, Zhang C Y, Han P. The expression and function of opsin genes related to the phototactic behavior of Tuta absoluta[J]. Entomologia Generalis, 2024, 44(2): 463-471.
[1] MI Na,Zhang QiKai,WANG HaiHong,WU ShengYong,LEI ZhongRen. The Phototaxis Behavior of Thrips tabaci and Trapping Effect of Different Wavelength Sticky Cards in the Field [J]. Scientia Agricultura Sinica, 2019, 52(10): 1721-1732.
Viewed
Full text


Abstract

Cited
  Shared   
  Discussed   
No Suggested Reading articles found!
京ICP备09089781号-30
Copyright 2018 © Editorial office of Scientia Agricultura Sinica
Tel: 86-010-82106279    E-mail: zgnykx@mail.caas.net.cn
Supported by Beijing Magtech Co.Ltd