Q-MoFusion: A Quantum Classifier for Masquito Species Classification (Student Abstract)

Automated mosquito species identification is critical for combating vector-borne diseases. We introduce Q-MoFusion, a novel hybrid quantum-classical framework that fuses deep features from pre-trained Audio Spectrogram Transformer (AST) and Whisper models using a Variational Quantum Circuit (VQC). Our approach significantly outperforms individual backbones and prior state-of-the-art benchmarks, demonstrating superior accuracy and robustness, particularly on imbalanced classes. Q-MoFusion demonstrates the potential of hybrid quantum computing to enhance bioacoustic surveillance for addressing critical public health challenges.