Genetic Differentiation and Diagnostic Loci of Anopheles nuneztovari, An. trinkae, and An. rangeli (Diptera: Culicidae)

Abstract

Samples of Anopheles rangeli Gabaldon, Cova Garcia & Lopez, An. trinkae Causey, and An. nuneztovari Gabaldon from Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil, and Bolivia were analyzed for genetic variability at 24 enzyme loci. Estimates of genetic variability for An. rangeli and An. trinkae from Ecuador and for An. nuneztovari in Venezuela had the following ranges: 46-58% polymorphic loci, 1.7-2.0 (SEM = 0.1-0.3) mean number of alleles per locus, and 0.069-0.113 (SEM = 0.03-0.04) expected mean heterozygosity. Genetic variability estimates of An. rangeli from Bolivia were 20.8-29.2% polymorphic loci, 1.2-1.6 (SEM = 0.1-0.2) mean number of alleles per locus, and 0.037-0.054 (SEM = 0.02-0.03) expected mean heterozygosity. The estimated genetic distance between An. rangeli and An. trinkae ranged from 0.149 to 0.197. The genetic distance between these 2 species and An. nuneztovari ranged from 0.319 to 0.440. Although there were allele frequency differences at some loci between samples of An. nuneztovari sampled from either side of the Andes Mountains in Venezuela, there were no diagnostic loci and the estimated genetic distance was only 0.023. Seven enzyme loci were diagnostic between An. nuneztovari and one or both of its sister species: Acon-2, Ao, Hk-1, Idh-2, Me, Pgi, and Pgm. The diagnostic loci Hk-1 and Acon-2 were not polymorphic in any species. An. rangeli and An. trinkae can be distinguished by the diagnostic loci Ao, Idh-2, and Me-1, and with a 97% probability by Pgm. Distance Wagner and unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averaging analyses support a close phylogenetic relationship between An. trinkae and An. rangeli.

PCR-RAPD and PCR-RFLP polymorphisms detected in Anopheles cruzii (Diptera, Culicidae)

“…Studies involving characters (morphological, genetic or biochemical) between species of Anopheles are sometimes ambiguous because of the limited distributions of some species. Consequently, these characters may become uninformative when applied to the entire geographic distribution of a taxon (Fritz et al 1991;Fritz et al 1995). In addition, chromosomal inversions and molecular markers are not always congruent for interspecific discrimination within the Anopheles genus (Dusfour et al 2004).…”

Genetic divergence in mitochondrial DNA of Anopheles nuneztovari (Diptera: Culicidae) from Brazil and Colombia

“…Cytotype A occurs throughout the Amazon Basin, cytotype B is observed in populations from western Venezuela (eastern Andes) and Genetic divergence in mitochondrial DNA of Anopheles nuneztovari (Diptera: Culicidae) from Brazil and Colombia cytotype C is found in Colombia and western Venezuela (western Andes). Comparative isozyme studies have shown low differentiation between populations from Brokopondo (Suriname) and Barinas (Venezuela) (Steiner et al, 1980), as well as between populations from both sides of the Andes, in Venezuela (B and C cytotypes) (Fritz et al, 1995). Other investigations have suggested that populations from the Brazilian Amazon are genetically similar.…”

Population structure and genetic divergence in Anopheles nuneztovari (Diptera: Culicidae) from Brazil and Colombia.

“…9 Studies on behavior, polytene chromosomes, isozymes, male genitalia, eggs, sequences of nuclear genes, and mitochondrial (mt) DNA of geographic populations of A. nuneztovari have shown different degrees of conspecific divergence or even evidence for a species complex. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Elliott suggested two allopatric forms or ecotypes for this species based on behavioral differences. 10 Populations from western Venezuela and northern Colombia described as human malaria vectors were mainly anthropophilic and endophagic, with a biting peak around midnight.…”