Evidence for detection and response to far field sound in (Aedes aegypti) mosquitoes using behavior and neurophysiological tools

It has been known for over a century that mosquitoes have acoustic behavior and use their antennae to detect near-field (cm)  acoustic signals.  This implies that behavioral interactions occur at very close range rather than at a distance.  Here we present evidence for long-distance (meters) acoustic signaling.  In Aedes aegypti, the dengue and Chikungunya vectorr mosquito, males are more sensitive in detecting long-distance signals than females, based on behavior tests.  We also made neural recordings from the antennal nerve under acoustic conditions sufficiently distant from the sound source that the acoustic field may be represented by a plane wave.  Our recordings in the acoustic far field indicate surprisingly low thresholds for males: 36-41 dB SPL for 260-290 Hz tones.   In females higher thresholds of 44-61dB SPL, for 180-190 Hz tones, were recorded.  The males react to biologically relevant tones by initiating flight. These results considerably exceed previously published reports of the communicative and attractive “reach” of acoustic signals in mosquitoes. They raise important questions about the auditory neurosensory mechanisms that underlie this long-range, far-field sensitivity.

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See more of: Ten-Minute Papers, MUVE Section: Mosquitoes, Biology, Ecology, and Control
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