BEHAVIORAL AND GUSTATORY RESPONSES OF FEMALE NEOBELLIERIA (=SARCOPHAGA) BULLATA TO SUCROSE AND AMINO-ACIDS

Unmated female Neobellieria (=Sarcophaga) bullata (Parker) (Diptera: S arcophagidae) of different ages ranging from 1 to 24 days consistently preferred a solution of 100 mM/l sucrose to one containing a mixture of six amino acids at a total concentration of 10 mM/l. When these sol utions were used to stimulate the gustatory sensilla on the proboscis of 2- and 5-day-old flies, sucrose elicited a greater response from ce lls 1 and 2 in large and cell 1 in medium-length hairs, which could ac count for the feeding preference of the flies for this chemical.