A gustatory receptor involved in host plant recognition for oviposition of a swallowtail butterfly.

Swallowtail butterflies belonging to the family of Papilionidae selectively utilize a limited number of plants from a single or a few families. Female butterflies lay eggs on their host only when they detect specific chemicals through their foreleg chemosensilla while drumming on the leaf surface. Here we show that the butterfly, Papilio xuthus, uses a gustatory receptor specific for synephrine to select its host in oviposition behaviour.

Identification and genomic structure of chemosensory proteins (CSP) and odorant binding proteins (OBP) genes expressed in foreleg tarsi of the swallowtail butterfly Papilio xuthus.

Chemoreception is a key feature for selection of host plants by phytophagous insects. Female swallowtail butterflies recognize their host plants using chemosensilla present on foreleg tarsi. We constructed a cDNA library of female tarsi and a genome library of Papilio xuthus.