File:Fig AntennalSensilla.jpg

Summary

Three kinds of mechanoreceptors are involved in tactile sensing. Contact sensilla encode contact location, campaniform sensilla encode bending of the flagellum and a chordotonal organ encodes vibration of the flagellum. Top left: The flagellum carries seven types of hair-shaped sensilla. Two types are innervated by a mechanosensory neuron, the other five are purely chemoreceptive sensilla. Hair density increases toward the tip. Top right: Sensilla campaniformia are oval-shaped mechanoreceptors embedded in the cuticle, where they encode shear forces caused by enforced deflection of the flagellum. They are sparsely distributed along the flagellum. They also form a ring around the distal pedicel (Hicks’ organ), as shown by this picture. Bottom: The pedicel contains a chordotonal organ which is often referred to as Johnston’s organ (JO). In the stick insect, it attaches at a single cuticular dent on the ventral side of the pedicel-flagellum junction (see also in top right image). [SEMs by Annelie Exter and Samir Mujagic, schematic by Volker Dürr, Biological Cybernetics, Bielefeld University, Germany]

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