Elimination of Ultraviolet Light-Mediated Attraction Behavior in Culex Mosquitoes via dsRNA-Mediated Knockdown of Opsins

It is widely recognized that mosquitoes are attracted to ultraviolet (UV) light traps in field and semi-field trials. However, the specific characteristics of mosquito behavioral responses to UV light remain poorly defined. Moreover, the molecular mechanisms underlying their phototactic behavior remain unexplored. Here, we characterized mosquito photobehavior under UV light in a laboratory setting using three experimental apparatuses. Our findings indicate that mosquitoes exhibit strong attraction to low-intensity UV light, yet show no preference between high-intensity UV light and darkness. Video recordings and automatic analyses of photobehavior under low-intensity UV light revealed that mosquitoes preferred the window illuminated by UV light over an unilluminated window and were more active when exposed to UV light. Through RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated knockdown of opsins highly expressed in the adult stage of <i>Culex quinquefasciatus</i>, we identified <i>CqOpsin3</i>, <i>CqOpsin5</i>, and <i>CqOpsin6</i> as crucial mediators of UV phototaxis. This study provides methods for characterizing mosquito photobehavior under UV light in the laboratory, and represents the first mechanistic investigation into UV light-mediated attractive behavior in mosquitoes.