Reinhold, Joanna M.Chandrasegaran, KarthikeyanOker, HelenCrespo, José E.Vinauger, ClémentLahondère, Chloé2022-01-212022-01-212022-01-14Reinhold, J.M.; Chandrasegaran, K.; Oker, H.; Crespo, J.E.; Vinauger, C.; Lahondère, C. Species-Specificity in Thermopreference and CO2-Gated Heat-Seeking in Culex Mosquitoes. Insects 2022, 13, 92.http://hdl.handle.net/10919/107839Combining thermopreference (T<i>_p</i>) and CO₂-gated heat-seeking assays, we studied the thermal <i>preferendum</i> and response to thermal cues in three <i>Culex</i> mosquito species exhibiting differences in native habitat and host preference (e.g., biting cold and/or warm-blooded animals). Results show that these species differ in both T<i>_p</i> and heat-seeking behavior. In particular, we found that <i>Culex territans</i>, which feed primarily on cold-blood hosts, did not respond to heat during heat-seeking assays, regardless of the CO₂ concentration, but exhibited an intermediate T<i>_p</i> during resting. In contrast, <i>Cx. quinquefasciatus</i>, which feeds on warm blooded hosts, sought the coolest locations on a thermal gradient and responded only moderately to thermal stimuli when paired with CO₂ at higher concentrations. The third species, <i>Cx. tarsalis</i>, which has been shown to feed on a wide range of hosts, responded to heat when paired with high CO₂ levels and exhibited a high T<i>_p</i>. This study provides the first insights into the role of heat and CO₂ in the host seeking behavior of three disease vectors in the <i>Culex</i> genus and highlights differences in preferred resting temperatures.application/pdfenCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 InternationalCulex territansCulex quinquefasciatusCulex tarsalismosquito thermal biologydisease vectorArticle - Refereed2022-01-20https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13010092