title: Electrophysiological Responses of Gustatory Receptor Neurons on the Labella of the Common Malaria Mosquito, Anopheles quadrimaculatus (Diptera: Culicidae).
abstract: We recorded electrical responses from sensory cells associated with gustatory sensilla on the labella of female Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say to salt, sucrose, quinine (a feeding deterrent), and the insect repellent, N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET). A salt-sensitive cell responded to increasing concentrations of sodium chloride. A second cell was activated by increasing sucrose concentrations, while quinine, DEET, or a mixture of quinine + DEET elicited spike activity from a third cell, an apparent bitter- or deterrent-sensitive cell. Both quinine and DEET suppressed activity of the sugar-sensitive cell; sucrose suppressed activity of the bitter- or deterrent-sensitive cell. These results demonstrate separate gustatory pathways for a feeding stimulant and aversive contact cues mediated through distinct sensory inputs on the labellum. This sensory appendage may serve as a useful target to disrupt feeding behavior in this and other anopheline species, which transmit diseases like malaria to human populations.
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705 (jsparks003@drury.edu; joseph.dickens@ars.usda.gov).
authors.forename: Jackson T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Sparks
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705 (jsparks003@drury.edu; joseph.dickens@ars.usda.gov).
authors.forename: Joseph C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Dickens
keywords: DEET; chemosensory; mosquito; repellent; taste