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Auditory sensory range of male mosquitoes for the detection of female flight sound

Nakata, T; Simoes, P; Walker, SM; Russell, IJ; Bomphrey, RJ

Authors

T Nakata

P Simoes

SM Walker

IJ Russell

RJ Bomphrey



Abstract

Male mosquitoes detect and localize conspecific females by their flight-tones using the Johnston's organ (JO), which detects antennal deflections under the influence of local particle motion. Acoustic behaviours of mosquitoes and their JO physiology have been investigated extensively within the frequency domain, yet the auditory sensory range and the behaviour of males at the initiation of phonotactic flights are not well known. In this study, we predict a maximum spatial sensory envelope for flying Culex quinquefasciatus by integrating the physiological tuning response of the male JO with female aeroacoustic signatures derived from numerical simulations. Our sensory envelope predictions were tested with a behavioural assay of free-flying males responding to a female-like artificial pure tone. The minimum detectable particle velocity observed during flight tests was in good agreement with our theoretical prediction formed by the peak JO sensitivity measured in previous studies. The iso-surface describing the minimal detectable particle velocity represents the quantitative auditory sensory range of males and is directional with respect to the female body orientation. Our results illuminate the intricacy of the mating behaviour and point to the importance of observing the body orientation of flying mosquitoes to understand fully the sensory ecology of conspecific communication.

Citation

Nakata, T., Simoes, P., Walker, S., Russell, I., & Bomphrey, R. (2022). Auditory sensory range of male mosquitoes for the detection of female flight sound. Journal of the Royal Society, Interface, 19(193), https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2022.0285

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jul 28, 2022
Publication Date Aug 24, 2022
Deposit Date Dec 15, 2022
Print ISSN 1742-5689
Electronic ISSN 1742-5662
Publisher The Royal Society
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 19
Issue 193
DOI https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2022.0285
Keywords mosquito; aeroacoustics; phonotaxis; flight; fluid dynamics; auditory physiology; ANOPHELES-GAMBIAE; INSECT FLIGHT; FREQUENCY; BEHAVIOR; ATTRACTION; KINEMATICS; HEARING; DIPTERA; ORGAN