The dark-color inducing neuropeptide, [His 7]-corazonin, causes a shift in morphometic characteristics towards the gregarious phase in isolated-reared (solitarious) Locusta migratoria

Abstract

The neurohormone, [His 7]-corazonin is known to induce dark color in the cuticle and epidermis of Locusta migratoria. In the present study, we examined the effects of this hormone on development and morphometrics in two strains, albino and normal, of this locust under isolated conditions. Injection of [His 7]-corazonin induced dark color in both strains. In either strain, [His 7]-corazonin injected at the second and third instars did not affect duration of nymphal development or the number of nymphal instars. The shape of the pronotum was more convex in isolated-reared animals than in crowd-reared ones, and injection of [His 7]-corazonin caused isolated-reared animals to develop a less convex pronotum in the normal strain injected at a high dose (1 nmolx2) but not in the albino strain injected at a low dose (50 pmolx2). [His 7]-corazonin injected into isolated-reared nymphs caused a shift in classical morphometric ratios (F/C and E/F; F=length of the hind femur, C=maximum width of the head, E=length of the fore wings) towards values typical for crowd-reared (gregarious) individuals of the two strains. This study demonstrated for the first time that [His 7]-corazonin affected morphometric characteristics in L. migratoria. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.