Australian sugarcane soldier fly’s salivary gland transcriptome in response to starvation and feeding on sugarcane crops

The soldier flies Inopus rubriceps (Macquart) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) and Inopus flavus (James) are endemic to Australia where they are economically important insect pests of sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) (Allsopp and Robertson 1988). Small numbers of larvae can cause significant damage to roots and reduce the crop yields. Soldier fly pest management is difficult in sugarcane crops as insecticides are ineffective and no crop cultivars are tolerant to larval feeding. The development of improved pest-management strategies requires a better understanding of the relationship between soldier fly and its sugarcane host plants, but little is known about the composition and function of the soldier fly salivary gland or its secretions, and the role that these products play in insect-plant interactions (Birch 2002).