【Aim】 This study aims to clone odorant receptor (OR) genes in Apolygus lucorum and to assay their expression levels in different adult tissues and their electrophysiological responses to host plant volatiles, so as to provide the theoretical basis for understanding the mechanism of host plant recognition in A. lucorum. 【Methods】 Based on the sequencing and analysis of the antennal transcriptome of A. lucorum, the full-length sequences of eight OR genes with intact ORF were cloned by PCR. The expression levels of these genes in different adult tissues (antenna, head without antenna, thorax, abdomen, leg and wing) were detected by using qPCR. The electrophysiological responses of these ORs to 56 odor compounds were tested in Xenopus oocytes as a heterologous expression system using two-electrode voltage clamp recording. 【Results】 The full-length cDNA sequences of 8 OR genes AlucOR9, AlucOR16, AlucOR38, AlucOR53, AlucOR55, AlucOR56, AlucOR57 and AlucOR58 (GenBank accession no.: MN905538-MN905545)of A. lucorum were cloned. These ORs contain seven transmembrane domains, with the intracellular N-terminus and extracellular C-terminus, consistent with the typical characteristics of insect ORs. The qPCR results showed that all the eight OR genes were highly expressed in adult antennae and lowly expressed in all the other tissues of A. lucorum. Moreover, the expression of the other seven OR genes except AlucOR38 in the antennae showed significant differences between male and female. The results of two-electrode voltage clamp recording showed that only AlucOR57 responded to 15 odor compounds ［benzaldehyde, (-)-caryophyllene oxide, heptanal, (E)-2-hexenal, benzyl acetate, (1R)-(-)-myrtenal, 4-ethylbenzaldehyde, nonyl acetate, 3,7-dimethyl-3-octanol, tridecane, (E)-3-hexenol, butyl acrylate, butyl propionate, octyl acetate and amyl acetate］, while the other seven ORs did not respond to all the odor compounds tested. 【Conclusion】 AlucOR57 responds to partial odor compounds tested, suggesting that it might be involved in the recognition of host plant volatiles in A. lucorum. The other seven ORs fail to respond to all the tested odor compounds, and their
functions need further study.

【Aim】 Galeruca daurica is a new pest with great outbreaks in grasslands in Inner Mongolia in recent years. This study aims to clone the calcium-binding protein (CaBP) genes from G. daurica and to analyze their expression profiles at different developmental stages of the adults and under different temperatures, so as to lay a foundation for further study on their roles in the growth, development, and diapause of G. daurica. 【Methods】 The full-length ORFs of CaBP genes were cloned from G. daurica by RT-PCR according to the sequence information available in the transcriptome and proteome data of G. daurica, and their sequences were subjected to bioinformatics analysis. Their expression profiles in different day-old adults (3, 7, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 60, 90 and 110 d after eclosion) and in the 3-day-old adults exposed to 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35℃, respectively, for 1 h were detected by qPCR. 【Results】The cDNA sequences with complete ORFs of four CaBP genes were cloned from G. daurica, and named GdCaM, GdCAPSL, GdTnCl and GdCRT (GenBank accession numbers: MN695412-695415), respectively. Their ORFs are 480, 648, 516 and 1 209 bp in length, encoding 149, 215, 171 and 402 amino acids, respectively, and only GdCRT has a signal peptide. Homologous sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis indicated that GdCaM, GdCAPSL, GdTnC and GdCRT have the highest amino acid sequence identity with CaM, CAPSL and TnCL of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, and CRT of Leptinotarsa decemlineata, respectively (100.0%, 74.0%, 88.2% and 92.5%, respectively). The qPCR results showed that four CaBPs were differentially expressed in different day-old adults with diverse expression patterns. The expression level of GdCaM was relatively high in adults before diapause (3 d after eclosion), declined in adults beginning to enter diapause (7 d after eclosion), changed faintly during diapause (7-60 d after eclosion), and decreased further after diapause termination (90 d after eclosion). The expression levels of GdCAPSL maintained low in adults during the early diapause stage (10 d after eclosion), began to increase during the middle and late diapause stages (40 and 60 d after eclosion), and suddenly dropped to the lowest after diapause termination but abruptly rose to the highest 110 d after adult eclosion. The expression of GdTnCl was high in adults during the early diapause stage (15-20 d after eclosion), rapidly down-regulated to the lowest levels during the middle and late diapause stages (30-60 d after eclosion), up-regulated again after diapause termination, and suddenly down-regulated to the lowest level 110 d after adult eclosion. The expression levels of GdCRT in adults started to decrease gradually after diapause initiation, kept low during diapause maintenance (15-60 d after eclosion), and began to increase again after diapause termination. Temperature affected significantly the expression levels of the other three CaBP genes except for GdCRT in the 3-day-old adults. The expression levels of GdCaM rose with temperature declining when the temperature was below 20℃, but abruptly dropped at 0℃, while increased with temperature rising when temperature was above 20℃. The expression levels of GdCAPSL had an increasing tendency with temperature increasing, reached the highest at 25℃, and then declined. The expression 
levels of GdTnCl had a decreasing tendency with temperature increasing. 【Conclusion】 CaBPs might play important roles in the growth, development, and regulation of summer diapause of G. daurica adults.

 【Aim】 This study aims to clarify the effects of fluctuating temperature on the growth, development and reproduction of the cabbage moth, Mamestra brassicae, and to explore its adaptability to environmental temperature. 【Methods】 M. brassicae eggs were bred with soybean (Glycine max) leaves and observed under five gradient fluctuating temperature ranges 13-25℃ (daily average 19℃), 16-28℃ (daily average 22℃), 19-31℃ (daily average 25℃), 22-34℃ (daily average 28℃), and 25-37℃ (daily average 31℃) in the laboratory, and the developmental duration, developmental rate, fecundity, developmental threshold temperature and effective accumulated temperature of M. brassicae at various developmental stages were measured. 【Results】 The developmental duration of M. brassicae at the fluctuating temperature range 13-25℃ was the longest, and the generation time was 65.93 d, which was significantly longer than that at the other fluctuating temperature ranges. The duration of different developmental stages decreased as the temperature increased. The developmental duration at the fluctuating temperature range 22-34℃ was the shortest, and the generation time was 38.46 d, which was significantly shorter than that at other fluctuating temperature ranges. Under the fluctuating temperatures ranging from 25℃ to 37℃, the larvae could not normally complete the individual development. In the range of daily average temperature (T) of 19-28℃ (maximum temperature difference 12℃), the developmental rate of egg, larval and pupal stages were accelerated with increasing temperature, and the fitting equations of the developmental rate (V) of each developmental stage conformed to the linear model: V_egg=0.125+0.048T, V_larva=0.023+0.012T, V_pupa=0.027+0.013T, V_adult=0.073+0.47T. The longevity of female and male adults decreased with temperature. The longevity of female and male adults at the fluctuating temperature range 13-25℃ was the longest, being 7.91 d and 8.00 d, respective, and that at the fluctuating temperature range 22-34℃ was the shortest, being  3.00 d and 3.57 d, respectively. The developmental threshold temperatures of egg, larva, pupa, and adult were 7.98, 6.54, 9.36, and 10.78℃, respectively, and the corresponding effective accumulated temperatures were 87.00, 607.36, 351.51, and 108.52 d·℃, respectively. The fluctuating temperature range 16-28℃ was more optimal for the development, survival and reproduction of M. brassicae, at which its population trend index I was 117.81. 【Conclusion】 M. brassicae is a low temperature adaptive pest and has a low ability to adapt to high temperature. The results provide a scientific basis for further studying the natural population occurrence law of M. brassicae and forecasting its occurrence period and degree.

【Aim】 The present study was designed to find out whether eco-climatic factors affect the morphometric parameters and basic biology of the progeny of the parthenium beetle, Zygogramma bicolorata adults inhabiting the Parthenium hysterophorus abundant regions of Nepal. 【Methods】 Z. bicolorata adults were collected from Kathmandu (24℃, 1 400 m above sea level, warm-temperate climate), Chitwan (25℃, 415 m above sea level, upper-tropical/sub-tropical climate) and Mahendranagar (34℃, 229 m above sea level, humid-subtropical climate) regions of Nepal, and the 4th instar larvae and adult females of the first generation (F₁) per eco-climatic zone were assessed for their feeding attributes under optimal laboratory conditions. We hypothesized that rearing the progeny under ad libitum food and optimal abiotic conditions would nullify the indirect effect of food and temperature; and regardless of the eco-climatic regions to which parents belong, the progeny would utilize the food uniformly. 【Results】 We found that despite being reared under optimal conditions, the progeny of Z. bicolorata displayed body size pattern and feeding attributes similar to their parents. Offspring obtained from larger parents (Kathmandu) were large, but had lower food utilization efficiency than the progeny from smaller parents (Chitwan and Mahendranagar). Irrespective of the three eco-climatic regions, developing female adults were heavier and had reduced food utilization efficiency than the larvae. 【Conclusion】 Present findings suggest that immediate effect of food and optimal abiotic conditions may not affect the phenotypic plasticity of Z. bicolorata progeny, and the progeny display body size pattern and feeding attributes similar to the parents. Possibly the heritable changes might be owing to genetic diversity within the species. We anticipate that such findings may be utilized to understand phenotypic plasticity, distribution pattern and feeding behaviour of Z. bicolorata adults under changing climate scenario.