PREPARATION OF INSECT CONTACT CHEMOSENSILLA FOR SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

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Abstract
A protease digestion technique for preparing insect chemosensilla for observation at high magnifications under the Scanning Electron Microscope is described. Treatment with protease for 30 min or more followed by sonication removes material normally obscuring pores and surface grooves. This allows surface details and terminal valves to be seen under the SEM. The chemoreceptive hairs of insects can now be rapidly classified as having primarily a contact or olfactory function based on the presence or absence of visible terminal openings on some of the sensilla. Trypsin treatment was less useful, and neuraminidase had little effect. These results indicate that the material extruded onto the surface of the sensillum is proteinaceous.