Harmonic convergence in the love songs of the dengue vector mosquito.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Cator LJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2847473 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Feb
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Harmonic convergence in the love songs of the dengue vector mosquito.
Cator Lauren J LJ Arthur Ben J BJ Harrington Laura C LC Hoy Ronald R RR
Science (New York, N.Y.) 20090108 5917
The familiar buzz of flying mosquitoes is an important mating signal, with the fundamental frequency of the female's flight tone signaling her presence. In the yellow fever and dengue vector Aedes aegypti, both sexes interact acoustically by shifting their flight tones to match, resulting in a courtship duet. Matching is made not at the fundamental frequency of 400 hertz (female) or 600 hertz (male) but at a shared harmonic of 1200 hertz, which exceeds the previously known upper limit of hearing ...[more]
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