Spatial and temporal characteristics of laboratory-induced Anopheles coluzzii swarms: Shape, structure, and flight kinematics.

ABSTRACT: Malaria mosquitoes mate in swarms, but how these swarms are formed and maintained remains poorly understood. We characterized three-dimensional spatiotemporal flight kinematics of Anopheles coluzzii males swarming at sunset above a ground marker. The location, shape, and volume of swarms were highly stereotypic, consistent over the complete swarming duration. Swarms have an elliptical cone shape; mean flight kinematics varies spatially within the swarm, but remain rather consistent throughout swarming duration. Using a sensory system-informed model, we show that swarming mosquitoes use visual perception of both the ground marker and sunset horizon to display the swarming behavior. To control their height, swarming individuals maintain an optical angle of the marker ranging from 24°

SUBMITTER: Poda BS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11546533 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature