Acoustic signalling has been extensively studied in insect species, which has led to
a better understanding of sexual communication, sexual selection and modes of
speciation. The significance of acoustic signals for a blood-sucking insect was first
reported in the XIX century by Christopher Johnston, studying the hearing organs of
mosquitoes, but has received relatively little attention in other disease vectors
until recently. Acoustic signals are often associated with mating behaviour and
sexual selection and changes in signalling can lead to rapid evolutionary divergence
and may ultimately contribute to the process of speciation. Songs can also have
implications for the success of novel methods of disease control such as determining
the mating competitiveness of modified insects used for mass-release control
programs. Species-specific sound “signatures” may help identify incipient species
within species complexes that may be of epidemiological significance, e.g. of higher
vectorial capacity, thereby enabling the application of more focussed control
measures to optimise the reduction of pathogen transmission. Although the study of
acoustic communication in insect vectors has been relatively limited, this review of
research demonstrates their value as models for understanding both the functional and
evolutionary significance of acoustic communication in insects.