Designing a Generic Videography Experiment for Studying Mosquito Behavior

Cold Spring Harb Protoc. 2023 Feb 1;2023(2):121-126. doi: 10.1101/pdb.prot107926.

Abstract

In this protocol, we describe the basic design considerations and general method to set up a videography system to study mosquito behavior. A basic videography system to study mosquito behavior requires one or more cameras with an optical lens, camera lighting, a calibration setup, and a system to record the video data or otherwise control the camera. Here, we define two types of systems: (1) a real-time videography-based tracking system for determining the position of multiple moving (flying) mosquitoes, and (2) a high-fidelity videography system that can track the detailed movements of body, wings, and legs of a single mosquito at high spatial and temporal resolutions. These high-fidelity trackers are divided into single-camera systems for studying two-dimensional (2D) movements, and multicamera systems that can reconstruct three-dimensional (3D) movements of the mosquito.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Behavior, Animal*
  • Culicidae*
  • Video Recording