Aspartate‐β‐alanine‐NBAD pathway regulates pupal melanin pigmentation plasticity of ladybird Harmonia axyridis

Phenotypic plasticity is observed in many animal species and it is effective for them to cope with many types of environmental threats. The multicolored Asian ladybird Harmonia axyridis shows a cuticular pigmentation plasticity that can be rapidly induced by temperature changes, and in the form of changeable melanin spot patterns to adjust heat‐absorbing. Here, H. axyridis with thermal stimulation were selected for determining the molecular regulations behind it. First, we confirmed the melanin level changes of H. axyridis pupa could be induced by temperature, and then screened the efficient time window for thermal sensing of H. axyridis pre‐pupa; it is suggested that the late stage of pre‐pupa (late stage of 4th instar larva) is the critical period to sense thermal signals and adjust its pupal melanin spot area size to adapt to upcoming thermal conditions. The Ha‐ADC (aspartate decarboxylase) and Ha‐ebony (NBAD synthase) of aspartate‐β‐alanine‐NBAD pathway were then proved in regulation of cuticular melanization for pupa through RNA interference experiments; knockdown of these two genes enlarged the melanin spot size. Finally, we designed a random injection of Ha–ADC at different pre‐pupal stages, to further study the regulation window during this process. Combined with all evidence observed, we suggested the spot size determination can be regulated very close to the time point of pupation, and genes of the aspartate‐β‐alanine‐NBAD pathway play an important role at the molecular level. In brief, H. axyridis exhibits a flexible active physiological regulation through transcriptional modification to thermal changes. Graphical : The multicolored Asian ladybird Harmonia axyridis shows a phenotypic plasticity that can be rapidly induced by temperature. The phenotypic plasticity of Harmonia axyridis is in the form of detectable body color variation (melanin spots). The genes Ha‐ADC and Ha‐ebony of the aspartate‐β‐alanine‐NBAD pathway plays an important role in the formation of cuticular melanin spots. This is a good example how insects adapt to environmental threats through molecular regulations.