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Shared salinity tolerance invalidates a test for the malaria vector Anopheles farauti s.s. on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
Author(s) -
Foley D. H.,
Bryan J. H.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
medical and veterinary entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2915
pISSN - 0269-283X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2915.2000.00219.x
Subject(s) - biology , vector (molecular biology) , larva , malaria , anopheles , instar , zoology , ecology , genetics , gene , immunology , recombinant dna
Summary Among the Punctulatus Group of Anopheles mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae), first‐instar larvae of the medically unimportant freshwater Anopheles farauti species No. 7 survives a seawater tolerance test (SST) that was previously thought to be diagnostic for the saltwater‐tolerant malaria vector species, An. farauti Laveran s.s . Salt tolerance in these two closely related isomorphic species appears to be a shared derived character within the Farauti Complex. Failure to differentiate An. farauti s.s . from An. farauti No.7 will overestimate potential malaria vector numbers and waste limited larval control resources. Use of the SST should therefore be discontinued on Guadalcanal and other techniques such as allozyme electrophoresis used instead.