Mosquitoes Harmonize Before Mating

Scientists at Cornell University have discovered that male and female mosquitoes will synchronize their wing-beat frequencies and produce harmonic calls before mating.

Male mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) typically beat their wings at 400 Hz (beats per second) and females at 600 Hz. But when the two come within audible distance of a few centimeters, both male and female wing beats approach 1200 Hz, a harmonic of each individual's normal rate. This rate is greater than what was believed to be the mosquitoes' upper hearing limit.

In addition to wing beats, each mosquito also adjusts the resonance of their thoracic box to produce harmonic mating calls. The female will settle at her third harmonic (three times her fundamental frequency) and the male will settle at his second harmonic (two times his fundamental frequency). This also demonstrates that the female mosquito is not deaf, as was previously believed.

Knowing the details of mosquito mating and reproduction helps researchers develop effective pest control strategies. If the reproductive cycle can be interrupted, the mosquito population in places at risk of diseases such as dengue or yellow fever can be controlled.

This study is available online on January 8th and in a February edition of Science.

Photo: ScienceDaily