【Aim】To clarify the function of sulfakinin (SK) and sulfakinin receptor (SKR) in the feeding behavior of Nilaparvata lugens.【Methods】The full-length cDNA sequences of sulfakinin gene Nlsk and sulfakinin receptor gene Nlskr of N. lugens were cloned by PCR and subjected to bioinformatical analysis. The expression levels of Nlsk and Nlskr in different developmental stages (egg, 1st-5th instar nymphs, and male and female adults) and different tissues (head, antenna, wing, proboscis, leg, gut and Malpighian tubules) of the female adult of N. lugens were analyzed by qRT-PCR. The 3rd instar nymphs of N. lugens were injected with dsNlskr for gene silencing and the expression level of Nlskr in the 4th instar nymph was detected by qRT-PCR. The food intake of the 4th instar nymph after the Nlskr silencing was measured. GO and KEGG analyses of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and qRT-PCR verification of feeding-related genes based on the previously constructed transcriptome database of the 4th instar nymphs after RNAi of Nlskr were performed. 【Results】 The full-length cDNA sequences of Nlsk (GenBank accession number: AB817281) and Nlskr (GenBank accession number: BAO01059.1) of N. lugens were cloned by PCR. Sequence alignment results showed that the NlSK mature peptide of N. lugens has a C-terminal FMRFamide polypeptide structure that is conserved with other species. NlSKR has a highly conserved transmembrane domain with homologous receptors of other insects. The results of qRT-PCR showed that Nlsk and Nlskr were highly expressed in the egg and 1st instar nymph, and mainly in the head. Nlskr was also highly expressed in the proboscis of N. lugens. Silencing Nlskr significantly increased the food intake of the 4th instar nymphs of N. lugens. Based on transcriptome data, GO and KEGG analysis result of DEGs showed that silencing of Nlskr by RNAi significantly affected the expression of the olfactory, gustation, energy metabolism, and feeding-related neuropeptides and receptor genes. The qRT-PCR verification results of feeding-related genes showed that silencing Nlskr decreased the expression levels of Nl7tmOR, NlOAR-3R, NlUH-FAF and NlTRP-161A, and increased the expression levels of NlGr64f, NlUE-E2 and NlTHR.【Conclusion】 This study reveals that sulfakinin and its receptor are involved in regulating the feeding behavior of N. lugens, providing a potential target for the development of pest insect feeding behavior inhibitors.

【Aim】In order to provide theoretical basis for studying the roles of odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) and chemosensory proteins (CSPs) in olfactory recognition of Schlechtendalia chinensis by the gene identification and expression profiling of OBPs and CSPs of S. chinensis. 【Methods】Based on the genome and transcriptome data of different developmental stages of S. chinensis, the gene sequences of OBPs and CSPs were identified and screened by bioinformatics methods. Phylogenetic analysis of OBPs and CSPs 

from S. chinensis and other Hemiptera insects based on amino acid sequences was performed using the neighbor-joining method. According to the TPM (tags per million) values of OBP and CSP genes in the transcriptome of different developmental stages (fundatrigeniae, fundatrix, spring migrant aphids, autumn migrant aphids, overwintering nymphs, sexual females and sexual males) of S. chinensis, the expression abundance was analyzed, and the relative expression levels of OBP and CSP genes were detected by qRT-PCR method. 【Results】 A total of 12 OBP genes (SchiOBP2-10, SchiOBP13-15) and 9 CSP genes (SchiCSP1-2, SchiCSP4-10) were identified from the genome and transcriptome data of S. chinensis. The phylogenetic analysis showed that OBPs/CSPs of S. chinensis were clustered together with OBPs/CSPs of other aphids and formed multiple homologous subgroups, indicating a credible homologous evolutionary relationship. According to the expression abundance in the transcriptome of different developmental stages and spatiotemporal expression profiles detected by qRT-PCR, SchiOBP3/6 and SchiCSP1/4/6/9/10 were highly expressed in fundatrix, SchiOBP4/10/14 and SchiCSP2/5/7 were highly expressed in sexual males, SchiOBP2 was highly expressed in fundatrix and sexual males, SchiOBP7 and SchiCSP8 were highly expressed in spring migrant aphids, SchiOBP8/13/15 were highly expressed in autumn migrant aphids, and SchiOBP9 was highly expressed in overwintering nymphs, indicating that these genes may play 
important roles in the olfactory recognition of S. chinensis in searching for host plants and mates.【Conclusion】 In this study, the OBP/CSP genes and their expression characteristics in different developmental stages of S. chinensis were identified and 

clarified, which provide a basis for further study on the function of olfactory-related proteins of S. chinensis and the chemical communication mechanism between gall aphids and their host plants.

【Aim】The aim of this study is to target the specific itinerant dispersal pattern of Bactrocera minax by investigating the nutritional requirements of B. minax adults at different ages (specific dispersal stages) for sucrose and protein, the development progress of testes and ovaries, and the dynamics of mating and oviposition of their adults at specific dispersal stages, to clarify the nutritional basis and reproductive developmental nodes in different dispersal stages of B. minax, and to rudimentarily understand its dispersal mechanisms, so as to provide a basis for precise control of B. minax adults. 【Methods】The female and male adults of B. minax at various dispersal stages consumed either sucrose or the mixed food of sucrose with yeast (sucrose∶yeast=3∶1, m/m)(the main components of yeast are protein and vitamins), and the sugar and protein requirements of adults at different dispersal stages were determined. The adult ovaries and testis were dissected, the adult mating and oviposition dynamics were observed, and the developmental basis and nodes of their initiation and diffusion were analyzed.【Results】The female adults of B. minax at the out-migrating stage (1-day-old) and the pre-return migrating stage (15-day-old) had a significantly higher sucrose consumption than those at the other dispersal stages, while those at the out-stay stage (10-day-old) had the lowest sugar consumption. At every step of the migratory process, male adults had significantly lower sucrose consumption than female adults. The 10-day-old female adults had the highest yeast consumption, while the 1-, 10- and 30-day-old male adults had significantly higher yeast consumption than the 15- and 20-day-old male adults. The 10-day-old female and male adults, 20-day-old male adults and 30-day-old male adults exhibited significantly increased consumption to the mixed food of sucrose with yeast than to single sucrose, while the 1-, 15- and 20-day-old female adults showed significantly decreased consumption to the mixed food of sucrose with yeast than to single sucrose. The consumption of male adults of each age to the mixed food of sucrose with yeast did not significantly decrease as compared with that to single sucrose. After adding yeast, the 1-, 15-, 20- and 30-day-old female adults and the 15-day-old male adults had significantly lower consumption to sucrose in the mixed food than to single sucrose. The ages of adults with 16%, 50% and 84% of the stage 3 ovaries were 9.17-, 14.80- and 20.34-day-old, respectively. The testis volume of male adults was the lowest at the 5-day-old, started to dramatically expand at the 10-day-old, and reached the maximum at the 30-day-old. The testis length increased with the male ages ranging from 10- to 20-day-old, but became obviously shortened at the 30-day-old. The testes width of male adults increased sporadically with age, with the larger ones occurring between 10- and 30-d-old. The ages of adults at the mating onset (with the cumulative mating rate of 16%), mating peak (with the cumulative mating rate of 50%) and mating end (with the cumulative mating rate of 84%) were 16.90-, 22.06- and 27.42-day-old, respectively, while those of female adults at the oviposition onset (with the cumulative oviposition rate of 16%), oviposition peak (with the cumulative oviposition rate of 50%) and oviposition end (with the cumulative oviposition rate of 84%) were 16.03-, 28.08- and 38.69-day-old, respectively. 【Conclusion】The female adults of B. minax have high demand for sucrose during the out-migrating and pre-return migrating periods, and the female adults in the migration state (out migrating stage, return migrating stages and alternately dispersal stage) have higher demand than males, meaning that sucrose is an essential nutrient for migration. B. minax has the highest protein consumption during the out-stay stage, which is consistent with the onset of ovarian development. The degree of protein demand in males corresponds to the size of the testes. Protein is closely related to the development of the adult reproductive system and can provide the nutritional basis for its migration and diffusion. The pre-return migrating stage of adult is consistent with the peak of female ovarian development and the onset of mating, indicating that the developmental status of the adult reproductive system is strongly tied to the launching node of the return migration. And the maturation of the female ovaries is the decisive physiological basis for the return migration in the populations. Therefore, the return migration phase of B. minax can be predicted by monitoring the progress of ovarian development in females.

【Aim】To investigate the change in expression patterns of genes and the cold resistance mechanisms of the western honey bee (Apis mellifera) during the overwintering period, so as to provide better guidance for overwintering management of bee colonies. 【Methods】 Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in four subspecies of A. mellifera, including A. m. caucasica, A. m. mellifera, A. m. ligustica and A. m. carnica during the overwintering period were identified and compared using transcriptomics and subsequently subjected to GO and KEGG enrichment analyses. The reliability of transcriptome sequencing results was verified by qRT-PCR. 【Results】 Changes in the expression levels of DEGs in four subspecies of A. mellifera possessed distinctive characteristics during the overwintering period. The expression levels of DEGs changed actively in A. m. ligustica from the initial overwintering period to the middle overwintering period, and in A. m. carnica and A. m. mellifera from the middle overwintering period to the anaphase overwintering period. For A. m. caucasica, the expression levels of DEGs were relatively stable throughout the overwintering period. There were differences in the expression patterns of DEGs in the four subspecies of A. mellifera at the initial overwintering period. The expression levels of genes of cuticular protein 22, vitellogenin, odorant-binding protein 14, heat shock protein 70, and cytochrome P4509e2 in A. m. caucasica and A. m. mellifera were higher than those in A. m. ligustica and A. m. carnica. The expression levels of genes of chitinase, defensin 1, retinol dehydrogenase and cytochrome b5 in A. m. ligustica were higher. The expression levels of DEGs in A. m. carnica were lower. According to the expression trend of DEGs, the expression levels of 
heat shock protein and ATP synthase subunit genes in A. m. ligustica and A. m. carnica were upregulated, and those of cuticular protein 22, vitellogenin, and cytochrome b/c genes in A. m. caucasica and A. m. mellifera were downregulated during overwintering. The results of enrichment analysis by GO and KEGG indicated that the DEGs in A. m. ligustica, A. m. carnica and A. m. caucasica from the initial overwintering period to the middle overwintering period were enriched in the redox processes and metabolic pathways of glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, oxidative phosphorylation and TCA cycle pathways, and the enriched DEGs in A. m. ligustica and A. m. carnica were upregulated and those in A. m. caucasica downregulated. The DEGs in A. m. mellifera were mainly enriched in amino acid metabolic pathway during the overwintering period and were involved in the Hippo, FoxO and Hedgehog signaling pathways. The qRT-PCR validation result was the same as the expression trend of RNA-Seq, indicating that the transcriptome sequencing data are reliable.【Conclusion】 The cold resistance mechanisms of the four subspecies of A. mellifera were preliminarily determined in this study, indicating that glycogenolysis decomposition in A. m. ligustica and A. m. carnica is enhanced during overwintering period to provide energy, whereas A. m. caucasica decreases the decomposition of glycogen before overwintering, suggesting that the cold resistance mechanisms in A. m. caucasica and A. m. mellifera may be the same by accumulating cold resistance substances in the body before overwintering and releasing energy gradually during the overwintering period.

【Aim】The morphological characteristics of the forewing of the representative species in two controversial genera, Pochazia and Ricania, were studied, to provide more evidence for the feature revision and species attribution of the both related genera. 【Methods】In total, 169 specimens of 10 species belonging to Pochazia and Ricania were examined, nine homologous landmarks and the outline of forewing (constituted by sixty semi-landmarks) were selected for each specimen. Principal component analysis (PCA) and canonical variate analysis (CVA) were performed to quantitatively analyze the veins and outline of forewing and to explore the variation rule of the morphology of forewing of these two genera. 【Results】 The forewing analysis showed that the first 3 principal components and canonical variates could explain 74.945% and 88.096% of the variation of the veins and outline of the forewing of 10 representative species of Pochazia and Ricania, respectively, indicating that the bifurcation point of vein CuA, claval margin, costal margin and apical half of posterior margin all have high variations. The high dispersion of the PC1 in PCA results of these two genera validated that the bifurcation point of the vein CuA, claval margin, costal margin and apical half of posterior margin can be used as a basis for intergeneric classification. The interspecific CVA showed fine aggregation and high dispersion, and the significance analysis based on Mahalanobis distance revealed remarkable differences in these 10 representative species.【Conclusion】The geometric morphometric analysis can be used for the classification of Pochazia and Ricania, but the diagnostic characteristics between these two genera require further studies.

【Aim】 Butterflies, as lepidopteran insects, are sensitive to their living environment and can be indicator species of the regional ecological environment. Automatic identification of butterfly species in the natural environment is of great significance to ecosystem stability. In the existing studies, there are few species and numbers of butterflies, and most of them take specimen images as recognition objects. Therefore, the butterfly image data set in the natural environment was constructed, and a butterfly species recognition model LDResNet based on the residual network was proposed in this study. 【Methods】 Firstly, deformable convolution was introduced to enhance the network feature extraction ability to different shapes of butterfly images, and to obtain more fine
-grained features. Secondly, the attention mechanism was embedded after the deformable convolution to increase the weight of butterfly features and reduce the interference of redundant information. Finally, the number of model parameters was reduced using an improved depthwise separable convolution. 【Results】 Experimenting on a self-built dataset, the LDResNet model achieved the average recognition accuracy of 87.61%, a 3.14% improvement over the original model, with only 1.04 MB of model parameters. 【Conclusion】 LDResNet has obvious advantages over other models in terms of average recognition accuracy and number of parameters, and this research model can provide technical support for automatic identification of butterfly species in natural environments.