Technology Development Biogents Bremen, Bayern, Germany
Abstract: It has long been recognized that the sense of hearing plays a major role in mosquito mating. Male mosquitoes have exquisitely sensitive hearing to recognize the flight tones of females and pursue potential mates. Once in close proximity, the male will attempt to mate with the female. The ensuing interaction has been studied in great detail by several researchers who found that mating success is correlated with the male and the female shifting their frequencies to obtain a match (and, in fact, the female rejecting the male if it does not match). Surprisingly, in Aedes aegypti for example, this match does not occur at the fundamental wingbeat frequency but at a ratio of 3:2 between the female and male fundamentals, i.e. about 1200 Hz. The concept of "harmonic convergence" requires not only the ability for at least the female to perceive a frequency far above the previously established mosquito hearing range but also to determine that it is exactly three times her own wingbeat. Nonlinear mixing of flight tones has also been proposed, resulting in low frequencies well below the fundamental flight tones but in the established mosquito hearing range. In either case, how the female recognizes the "right" frequency to establish a match is as of yet uncertain.
Using concepts from acoustic analysis and musicology, we present (augmented by sound and animations) a straightforward model of how male and female mosquitoes perceive their wingbeat duet. We also propose a robust mechanism by which females recognize a matching male (or reject him, which may have some relevance for SIT). Ultimately, deep understanding of mosquito acoustics may inform the development of novel mosquito control technologies.
