Digital atlases of the antennal lobe in two species of tobacco budworm moths, the oriental Helicoverpa assulta (Male) and the American Heliothis virescens (Male and female)

The antennal lobe of the moth brain is the primary olfactory center processing information about pheromones and plant odors. We present here a digital atlas of the glomerular antennal lobe structures in the male of Helicoverpa assulta and the male and female of Heliothis virescens, based on synaptic antibody staining combined with confocal microscopy. The numbers of the glomeruli in the three specimens were similar, 65, 66, and 62, respectively. Whereas the male antennal lobe has a macroglomerular complex consisting of three and four units in the two species, the female lobe has two enlarged glomeruli at a corresponding position, near the entrance of the antennal nerve. Another large glomerulus, showing homology in the three specimens, is ventrally located. The small size of the heliothine moths is advantageous for confocal microscopy because the entire brain can be visualized as a single image stack. The maps are freely accessible on the internet, and the digital form of the data allows each atlas to be rotated and sectioned at any angle, providing for the identification of glomeruli in different preparations. (C) 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.