The ion channel controls freshwater egg-laying in the mosquito .

Female mosquitoes are deadly vectors of arboviral pathogens and breed in containers of freshwater associated with human habitation. Because high salinity is lethal to offspring， correctly evaluating water purity is a crucial parenting decision. We found that the DEG/ENaC channel and sensory neurons expressing control egg-laying initiation and choice in . Using calcium imaging， we found that -expressing cells show -dependent responses to water but， unexpectedly， also respond to salt in a -independent fashion. This suggests that is instructive for egg-laying at low-salt concentrations， but that a independent pathway is responsible for inhibiting egg-laying at high-salt concentrations. Water is a key resource for insect survival and understanding how mosquitoes interact with water to control different behaviors is an opportunity to study the evolution of chemosensory systems.