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1. Within host acoustic signal preference of frog‐biting mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) and midges (Diptera: Corethrellidae) on Iriomote Island, Japan

   https://doi.org/10.1111/ens.12455  

   Legett, Henry D. ; Aihara, Ikkyu ; Bernal, Ximena E. ( January 2021 , Entomological Science)

   Haematophagous insects can rely on specialized host‐seeking behaviors to locate hosts. Some frog‐biting flies, for example, eavesdrop on the conspicuous acoustic signals produced by male frogs and toads. Using such auditory cues to locate a host imposes an additional challenge: how to recognize appropriate sounds when different frog species produce calls with varying acoustic properties. The limited knowledge of antennal hearing in dipteran insects hinders our ability to understand how eavesdropping flies detect and recognize frog calls. Behavioral studies suggest that frog‐biting flies use broad acoustic templates to detect and recognize their victims. Here, we use within‐species call variation to examine the acoustic preferences in frog‐biting flies. Specifically, we examine the attraction of frog‐biting mosquitoes (Uranotaeniaspp.) and midges (Corethrella nippon) to the calls of a Japanese treefrog, the Ryukyu Kajika frog (Buergeria japonica), on Iriomote Island, Japan. Male Ryukyu Kajika frogs produce two call types. While both calls have a high frequency peak (3 kHz), the first call type (Type I) also contains a lower frequency peak (1.8 kHz) absent in the second call type (Type II). Using field phonotaxis experiments we found that Type I calls are more attractive to both frog‐biting mosquitoes and midges. Thus, our results suggest that the frog‐biting Nematoceran flies in this community are biased towards the acoustic properties of Type I calls. We discuss this finding in the context of the evolution of antennal hearing in flies.

    

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2. Feeding patterns revealed host partitioning in a community of frog‐biting mosquitoes

   https://doi.org/10.1111/een.12874  

   de Silva, W. A. Priyanka P. ; Bernal, X. E. ; Chathuranga, W. G. D. ; Herath, B. P. ; Ekanayake, C. ; Abeysundara, H. T. K. ; Karunaratne, S. H. P. P. ( April 2020 , Ecological Entomology)

   1. Resource partitioning is a critical component in competing species that coexist in a community. The biting behaviour of coexisting frog‐biting mosquito species associated with a tropical anuran community is investigated.

   2. Monthly samplings were taken for 2 years at two study sites in central Sri Lanka to collect frog‐biting mosquitoes, anuran abundance, environmental data, and interactions between mosquitoes and anuran hosts. Mosquitoes were collected using mouth‐operated aspirators and sound traps broadcasting anuran calls. Mosquitoes were identified using taxonomic keys and DNA barcodes.

   3. A total of 1079 frog‐biting mosquitoes from four species belonging to two genera were collected [Uranotaenia rutherfordi(5%),Ur.morphotype1(67%),Ur.morphotype2(21%), andMansonia uniformis(7%)]. Species‐specific interactions betweenUranotaeniamosquitoes and their anuran host were found.Uranotaeniamorphotype1, the most common species, was mainly attracted (99%) toDuttaphrynus melanostictus. Uranotaenia rutherfordiwas mainly attracted (95%) toPseudophilautus rus, whileUr.morphotype2was attracted (97%) toPolypedates cruciger. TheseUranotaeniaspecies are active at different hours at night that correspond to the peak calling activity of their anuran host. EachUranotaeniaspecies was active at heights that coincide with the calling sites of their host. In contrast,Ma. uniformiswas non‐specific in host choice and was equally distributed in space and time with respect to host feeding.

   4. Here, previously unknown feeding patterns of co‐occurring frog‐biting mosquito species and their interactions with anurans present in their community are reported, highlighting the existence of complex behavioural patterns of these mosquito communities.

    

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3. Phenotypic variation in biting behavior associated with differences in expression of olfactory genes in the vector mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae)

   https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjae003  

   Heilig, Mara ; Sturiale, Samantha L. ; Marzec, Sarah ; Holzapfel, Christina M. ; Bradshaw, William E. ; Meuti, Megan E. ; Armbruster, Peter A. ; Syed, ed., Zainulabeuddin ( February 2024 , Journal of Medical Entomology)

   We evaluated miRNA and mRNA expression differences in head tissues between avid-biting vs. reluctant-biting Aedes albopictus (Skuse) females from a single population over a 20-min timescale. We found no differences in miRNA expression between avid vs. reluctant biters, indicating that translational modulation of blood-feeding behavior occurs on a longer timescale than mRNA transcription. In contrast, we detected 19 differentially expressed mRNAs. Of the 19 differentially expressed genes at the mRNA level between avid-biting vs. reluctant-biting A. albopictus, 9 are implicated in olfaction, consistent with the well-documented role of olfaction in mosquito host-seeking. Additionally, several of the genes that we identified as differentially expressed in association with phenotypic variation in biting behavior share similar functions with or are inferred orthologues of, genes associated with evolutionary variation in biting behaviors of Wyeomyia smithii (Coq.) and Culex pipiens (Lin.). A future goal is to determine whether these genes are involved in the evolutionary transition from a biting to a non-biting life history.

    

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4. Effects of latitudinal, seasonal, and daily temperature variations on chytrid fungal infections in a North American frog

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2892  

   Sonn, Julia M. ; Utz, Ryan M. ; Richards‐Zawacki, Corinne L. ( November 2019 , Ecosphere)

   As human activities alter environmental conditions, the emergence and spread of disease represents an increasing threat to wildlife. Studies that examine how host–pathogen relationships play out across seasons and latitudes can serve as proxies for understanding how natural and anthropogenic changes in climate may influence infection and disease dynamics. Amphibians are ideal host organisms for studying the impacts of climate on disease because they are ectothermic and threatened by chytridiomycosis, a recently emerged and globally important disease caused by fungal pathogens in the genusBatrachochytrium. Previous studies suggest that temperature affects the interaction between amphibians andBatrachochytriumpathogens. However, a clearer understanding of this host–pathogen–environment interaction is needed to predict how the risk of chytridiomycosis will vary in space and time. Here, we investigate how daily, seasonal, and latitudinal variations in temperature affect the incidence and impact ofBatrachochytrium dendrobatidis(Bd) infection in a broadly distributed host, the northern cricket frog (Acris crepitans), using a combination of field and laboratory studies. In a four‐year field study conducted at three latitudes, we found that daily maximum air temperature over a 15‐d period prior to sampling best predicted patterns ofBdinfection and that the lightest infection loads followed periods when these temperatures exceeded 25°C. In a laboratory exposure experiment, we found pathogen load and mortality to be greater at temperatures that mimic winter temperatures at the southern extent of this host's range than for scenarios that mimic temperature conditions experienced in other areas and seasons. Taken together, our findings suggest that changes in temperature across timescales and latitudes interact to influence the dynamics of infection and disease in temperate amphibians.

    

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5. Variation in pigmentation gene expression is associated with distinct aposematic color morphs in the poison frog Dendrobates auratus

   https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-019-1410-7  

   Stuckert, Adam M. ; Moore, Emily ; Coyle, Kaitlin P. ; Davison, Ian ; MacManes, Matthew D. ; Roberts, Reade ; Summers, Kyle ( December 2019 , BMC Evolutionary Biology)

   null (Ed.)