New research on mosquito mating from the Riffell Lab was recently featured in UW News. In a paper published Aug. 30 in Current Biology, a team led by Jeff Riffell, Biology Professor, and Saumya Gupta, Biology postdoctoral researcher, showed that when a male Anopheles coluzzii mosquito hears the sound of female-specific wingbeats, his vision becomes active and he scans his immediate vicinity to look for a potential mate. This discovery could form the basis of a “lure” in a new generation of mosquito traps to reduce the spread of malaria.

Many mosquito species have relatively poor vision, and Anopheles coluzzii — a major spreader of malaria in Africa — is no exception. But the team found that when a male hears the telltale buzz of female flight, his eyes “activate” and he visually scans the immediate vicinity for a potential mate. Even in a busy, crowded swarm of amorous mosquitoes, which is how Anopheles coluzzii mates, the researchers found that the male can visually lock on to his target. He then speeds up and zooms deftly through the swarm — and avoids colliding with others.

“We have discovered this incredibly strong association in male mosquitoes when they are seeking out a mate: They hear the sound of wingbeats at a specific frequency — the kind that females make — and that stimulus engages the visual system,” said lead author Saumya Gupta, a UW postdoctoral researcher in biology. “It shows the complex interplay at work between different mosquito sensory systems.”

This strong link between males hearing the female-like buzz and moving toward an object in their field of vision may open up a new route for mosquito control: a new generation of traps specific to the Anopheles mosquitoes that spread malaria.

“This sound is so attractive to males that it causes them to steer toward what they think might be the source, be it an actual female or, perhaps, a mosquito trap,” said senior author Jeffrey Riffell, a UW professor of biology.

Read the full story in UW News.