Chemosensation enables animals to assess complex chemical environments, guiding decisions about what to approach, eat, or avoid. In mosquitoes, the gustatory system detects chemical cues on contact, supporting evaluation of food and oviposition sites, specialized behaviors such as blood feeding, and avoidance of toxic and repellent cues. These behaviors directly influence disease transmission, making the study of mosquito gustation important from both basic biological and medical standpoints. This review summarizes recent advances in mosquito contact chemosensation. Combining insights from anatomy, behavior, physiology, and genetics, it describes the organization and function of gustatory tissues and highlights our emerging understanding of the receptors, cells, and circuits that drive gustatory behaviors. By outlining key open questions and future directions, hopefully it will spur future research in this understudied field to deepen our understanding of sensory evolution while identifying novel intervention points for vector control. • Gustation guides mosquito feeding, oviposition, and repellent avoidance. • Contact chemosensation is distributed across multiple body parts. • Peripheral taste neurons integrate complex chemical mixtures. • Rapidly evolving receptors link ecology to sensory specialization. • New techniques and genetic tools enable high-resolution analysis of mosquito taste.
Willem J. Laursen (Fri,) studied this question.