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Abstract
The bite of a female mosquito is the critical point of pathogen transmission, yet the fine-scale biting dynamics on human skin remain unknown. Here, we combine high-speed videography, deep-learning-based tracking, and electrophysiology to analyze biting dynamics of the malaria vector Anopheles coluzzii in real time at the human skin interface. We uncover a previously uncharacterized synchronization of mouthpart and leg movements during probing and identify five distinct below skin sub-behaviors: piercing, vessel searching, blood ingestion, retraction, and withdrawal. We show that disruption of the orco and IR76b chemosensory genes can alter some components of normal biting but these effects are subtle, suggesting possible plasticity in direct-contact chemosensation and mosquito bite execution. Comparative analyses show genus-specific biting strategies between An. coluzzii and Aedes aegypti linked to distinct ways they find blood vessels. Our findings indicate that female mosquitoes exhibit a complex synchronization of body parts at the bite site via motor and chemosensory processes.
