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The period gene and genetic differentiation between three Brazilian populations of Lutzomyia longipalpis
Author(s) -
Bauzer L. G. S. R.,
Souza N. A.,
Ward R. D.,
Kyriacou C. P.,
Peixoto A. A.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
insect molecular biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.955
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-2583
pISSN - 0962-1075
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2583.2002.00340.x
Subject(s) - biology , phlebotominae , psychodidae , gene flow , lutzomyia , period (music) , zoology , vector (molecular biology) , lepidoptera genitalia , sibling species , evolutionary biology , gene , visceral leishmaniasis , genetic structure , leishmaniasis , genetics , ecology , genetic variation , recombinant dna , physics , acoustics
Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae), the main vector of visceral leishmaniasis in the Americas, is a putative species complex. Molecular polymorphism was characterized in a 266 bp fragment of L. longipalpis homologous to period , a ‘speciation gene’ from Drosophila . Samples from the Brazilian localities of Jacobina (BA), Lapinha (MG) and Natal (RN) were analysed and the data indicate that the three populations are highly differentiated, with a very low level of gene flow between them. These results are in agreement with published pheromone and copulation song studies that suggest the existence of a sibling species complex in Brazil.