Functions of the auditory system of biting female mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae)

Female mosquitoes possess a complex auditory system, the biological function of which has not yet been fully understood. Male and female mosquitoes are known to mutually adjust the frequencies of their wingbeats when approaching each other. To make such interaction possible, they need to hear each other and to be able to discriminate frequencies. Some recent data indicate that biting female mosquitoes can also use acoustic channel to detect their hosts. One can expect that the parameters of mosquito’s hearing re ect the acoustic properties of noises or other sounds emitted by the host animals. In this regard, it is worth asking whether mosquitoes are able to detect humans by their voices. We studied female mosquitoes of Aedes ( Ochlerotatus ) excrucians Walker. They are abundant in the biotopes where people are likely to be found, for example, along the river banks and in the village parks. In electrophysiological experiments, we measured the frequency-threshold characteristics of auditory receptors. The highest sensitivity of most receptors was found in the frequency range from 40 to 140 Hz, with minimum threshold values of 32-40 dB SPVL (Sound Particle Velocity Level). A comparison of the frequency-threshold characteristics of female mosquitoes with the averaged spectra of human speech indicates that, in most cases, mosquitoes can hear human voices and can use them as a cue for nding and attacking humans.

culicidae, Aedes excrucians, culicidae, Aedes excrucians, mosquito hearing, frequency tuning, acoustic stimulation