Replication data and R code for: Commercial permethrin elicits chemoreceptive responses on different Anopheles gambiae sensory appendages

Additionally, electrophysiological recordings were performed on different sensory appendages: antennae, palpi and tarsi, to characterize their electrophysiological activity after permethrin stimulation. The behavioral assays revealed that tarsi were primarily responsible for mediating mosquito takeoff responses after permethrin headspace delivery. This finding was supported by significant electrophysiological tarsal responses to the insecticide.

In contrast, removal of the antennae did not alter behavioral responses, although electroantennogram recordings indicated neural activity in response to the permethrin headspace. The palps showed neither behavioral nor electrophysiological responses. CONCLUSION These findings indicate that An. gambiae detects commercial permethrin in vapor form using two distinct sensory appendages: the tarsi and the antennae, but with varying behavioral output.

The results suggest that the non-contact detection of the insecticide may be mediated by chemosensory signaling pathways. Nonetheless, further research is required to identify the specific sensory mechanisms involved in the detection of pyrethroids in malaria mosquitoes, and their contribution to the evolution of behavioral adaptations against pyrethroid-based vector control tools.