MACSFeD-a database of mosquito acoustic communication and swarming features.

Acoustic communication plays an important role during the courtship of many mosquito species. Male mosquitoes show strong attraction to female wing beat frequencies, mediated via spectral matching between female wing beat frequency and male ear mechanical tuning frequency. Such acoustic communication typically occurs within swarms, male-dominated aggregations with species-specific properties.

Differences in male and hearing systems facilitate recognition of conspecific female flight tones.

When mosquitoes invade regions predominated by , either the latter can be displaced or the species can coexist, with potential consequences on disease transmission. Males from both species identify females by listening for her flight sounds. Comparing male hearing systems may provide insight into how hearing could prevent interspecific mating.

Targeting sex determination to suppress mosquito populations.

Each year, hundreds of millions of people are infected with arboviruses such as dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika, which are all primarily spread by the notorious mosquito . Traditional control measures have proven insufficient, necessitating innovations. In response, here we generate a next-generation CRISPR-based precision-guided sterile insect technique (pgSIT) for that disrupts genes essential for sex determination and fertility, producing predominantly sterile males that can be deployed at any life stage.

Targeting Sex Determination to Suppress Mosquito Populations.

Each year, hundreds of millions of people are infected with arboviruses such as dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika, which are all primarily spread by the notorious mosquito . Traditional control measures have proven insufficient, necessitating innovations. In response, here we generate a next generation CRISPR-based precision-guided sterile insect technique (pgSIT) for that disrupts genes essential for sex determination and fertility, producing predominantly sterile males that can be deployed at any life stage.

The auditory efferent system in mosquitoes.

Whilst acoustic communication forms an integral component of the mating behavior of many insect species, it is particularly crucial for disease-transmitting mosquitoes; swarming males rely on hearing the faint sounds of flying females for courtship initiation. That males can hear females within the din of a swarm is testament to their fabulous auditory systems. Mosquito hearing is highly frequency-selective, remarkably sensitive and, most strikingly, supported by an elaborate system of auditory efferent neurons that modulate the auditory function - the only documented example amongst insects.

Serotonin modulation in the male ear influences hearing.

Male () mosquitoes rely on hearing to identify conspecific females for mating, with the male attraction to the sound of flying females ("phonotaxis") an important behavior in the initial courtship stage. Hearing thus represents a promising target for novel methods of mosquito control, and hearing behaviors (such as male phonotaxis) can be targeted the use of sound traps. These traps unfortunately have proven to be relatively ineffective during field deployment.