Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 3 hrs ago
Researchers identify gene involved in yellow fever mosquito mating
Researchers in Japan and the United States identified a gene involved in male yellow fever mosquitoes finding mates.
The gene, called fruitless, helps males hear the wingbeats of females, which they use to locate them.
When researchers mutated the gene, males did not form swarms or respond to female wingbeats.
The mosquitoes also had impaired hearing; one account says the sound signal reaching the brain fell to about one-sixth of the usual level.
Yellow fever mosquitoes can spread dengue and Zika, and females lay eggs after mating and feeding on blood.
The discovery points to a possible way to disrupt mosquito reproduction by targeting a gene needed for mating.
Researchers say further work could help develop new mosquito-control methods.
Researchers from Nagoya University and the University of Iowa identified the fruitless gene as key to male yellow fever mosquitoes detecting female wingbeats and mating.
Male mosquitoes with a mutation in the gene did not form swarms or respond to female wingbeats.
The mutation also significantly impaired hearing; one report said the auditory signal reaching the brain fell to about one-sixth of the normal level.
The findings, published in PLOS Biology, could point to new ways to control mosquito reproduction.
Yellow fever mosquitoes also transmit dengue and Zika viruses.
- Who
- Researchers from Nagoya University and the University of Iowa. The team included Nagoya University professor Azusa Kamikochi.
- What
- They identified the fruitless gene as involved in male mosquitoes detecting female wingbeats and mating.
- When
- The findings were published on October 28, 2026, according to Nikkei.
- Where
- The research examined yellow fever mosquitoes. The researchers were from Nagoya University in Japan and the University of Iowa in the United States.
- Why
- The discovery could help develop ways to control mosquito reproduction.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The detailed mechanism behind male mosquitoes’ response to female wingbeats was not fully understood.
The research findings were published in PLOS Biology.
- Gene
- fruitless
- Species studied
- Yellow fever mosquito
- Normal female wingbeat
- Approximately 450 hertz
- Mutated males’ auditory signal
- About one-sixth of the normal level reaching the brain
- Journal
- PLOS Biology
3 sources
What people are saying
Targeting this gene may lead to finding ways to control their reproduction.