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Wing geometric morphometrics and molecular assessment of members in the A lbitarsis C omplex from C olombia
Author(s) -
Gómez G.,
Jaramillo L.,
Correa M. M.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
molecular ecology resources
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.96
H-Index - 136
eISSN - 1755-0998
pISSN - 1755-098X
DOI - 10.1111/1755-0998.12126
Subject(s) - morphometrics , biology , zoology , wing , genus , evolutionary biology , engineering , aerospace engineering
Malaria parasites are transmitted to humans by female mosquitoes of the genus An opheles . The A lbitarsis C omplex harbours at least eight species not readily differentiable by morphology. This complicates the determination of those species involved in malaria transmission and the implementation of targeted and effective vector control strategies. In C olombia, there is little information about the identity and distribution of the A lbitarsis C omplex members. In this work, COI DNA barcoding was used to assign specimens A nopheles albitarsis s.l. to any of the previously designated species of the A lbitarsis C omplex. Two molecular operational taxonomic units ( MOTU s), differentially distributed in C olombia, were detected, A . albitarsis I in the NW and NE , and A . albitarsis F , E and NE Colombia. In contrast, nuclear white gene and ITS 2 sequence analyses did not allow differentiating between the MOTU s. Wing landmark‐based geometric morphometrics applied to explore intertaxa phenotypic heterogeneity showed a subtle but significant difference in size, while shape did not allow the separation of the MOTU s. In general, the multiple marker analysis was not supportive of the existence in Colombia of more than one species of the A lbitarsis C omplex.