An electroretinographic study of the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys.

Abstract

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, is an invasive species that has become an agricultural problem. Successful management strategies include the use of pesticides and traps. Work at the USDA, Beltsville has shown that visual cues can optimize the efficiency of traps, which points to the necessity of understanding the visual system of H. halys. With electroretinography, this study describes the visual range of H. halys, and gives insight into the rhodopsins present within their eyes. H. halys was found to have strong sensitivity to green light, moderate sensitivity to blue and UV light, and low sensitivity to red light. This study shows that H. halys has three distinct rhodopsins within their eyes, with peak sensitivities near 535nm, 459nm, and a third in the UV range. This is the first study to investigate the visual properties of H. halys, and paves the way for future work on the topic.