Spatial and temporal characteristics of laboratory-induced Anopheles coluzzii swarms: Shape, structure, and flight kinematics
Bèwadéyir Serge Poda,
Antoine Cribellier,
Lionel Feugère,
Mathurin Fatou,
Charles Nignan,
Domonbabele François de Sales Hien,
Pie Müller,
Olivier Gnankiné,
Roch Kounbobr Dabiré,
Abdoulaye Diabaté,
Florian T. Muijres,
Olivier Roux
Affiliations
Bèwadéyir Serge Poda
Département de Biologie Médicale et Santé Publique, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso; Laboratoire d’Entomologie Fondamentale et Appliquée, Unité de Formation et de Recherche en Sciences de la Vie et de la Terre, Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; MIVEGEC, IRD, CNRS, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France; Experimental Zoology Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands; Corresponding author
Antoine Cribellier
Experimental Zoology Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
Lionel Feugère
Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham, UK; L2TI, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, France
Mathurin Fatou
Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Charles Nignan
Département de Biologie Médicale et Santé Publique, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso; Laboratoire d’Entomologie Fondamentale et Appliquée, Unité de Formation et de Recherche en Sciences de la Vie et de la Terre, Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Unité de Formation et de Recherche en Sciences Appliquées et Technologies, Université de Dédougou, Dédougou, Burkina Faso
Domonbabele François de Sales Hien
Département de Biologie Médicale et Santé Publique, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Pie Müller
Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Olivier Gnankiné
Laboratoire d’Entomologie Fondamentale et Appliquée, Unité de Formation et de Recherche en Sciences de la Vie et de la Terre, Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Roch Kounbobr Dabiré
Département de Biologie Médicale et Santé Publique, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Abdoulaye Diabaté
Département de Biologie Médicale et Santé Publique, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Florian T. Muijres
Experimental Zoology Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
Olivier Roux
Département de Biologie Médicale et Santé Publique, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso; MIVEGEC, IRD, CNRS, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
Summary: 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° to 55°. Limiting the viewing angle deviation to 4.5% of the maximum value results in the observed elliptical cone swarm shape. We discuss the implications of these finding on malaria mosquito mating success, speciation and for vector control.
