Neuroanatomy of blood-feeding arthropods

Hematophagy has evolved independently numerous times across a variety of arthropods. Many of these blood-sucking animals, like kissing bugs or mosquitoes, transmit infectious diseases, resulting in numerous studies describing their sensory systems or ecology. Other species, like bed bugs or head lice, are not considered life-threatening but still elicit concern as a hygiene problem worldwide. Revealing the anatomy of the nervous systems in these arthropods expands our understanding of how they process environmental stimuli and locate hosts. Neural structures and the neuromodulators they express may be putative targets for vector control. In this review, we identify the known neuroanatomy of hematophagous arthropods, focusing on bed bugs, kissing bugs, lice, mosquitoes and other flies, and, finally, ticks. We also describe knowledge gaps and suggest areas of future study.