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Background  Co-evolution between  Plasmodium  species and its vectors may result in adaptive changes in genes that are crucial components of the vector's defense against the pathogen. By analyzing which genes show evidence of positive selection in malaria vectors, but not in closely related non-vectors, we can identify genes that are crucial for the mosquito's resistance against  Plasmodium.Methodology/Principle Findings  We investigated genetic variation of three anti-malarial genes;  CEC1, GNBP-B1  and  LRIM1,  in both vector and non-vector species of the  Anopheles gambiae  complex. Whereas little protein differentiation was observed between species in  CEC1  and  GNBP-B1,  McDonald-Kreitman and maximum likelihood tests of positive selection show that  LRIM1  underwent adaptive evolution in a primary malaria vector;  An. arabiensis.  In particular, two adjacent codons show clear signs of adaptation by having accumulated three out of four replacement substitutions. Furthermore, our data indicate that this  LRIM1  allele has introgressed from  An. arabiensis  into the other main malaria vector  An. gambiae.Conclusions/Significance  Although no evidence exists to link the adaptation of  LRIM1  to  P. falciparum  infection, an adaptive response of a known anti-malarial gene in a primary malaria vector is intriguing, and may suggest that this gene could play a role in  Plasmodium  resistance in  An. arabiensis.  If so, our data also predicts that  LRIM1  alleles in  An. gambiae  vary in their level of resistance against  P. falciparum .

Patterns of Selection in Anti-Malarial Immune Genes in Malaria Vectors: Evidence for Adaptive Evolution in LRIM1 in Anopheles arabiensis