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Molecular differentiation of three closely related members of the mosquito species complex, Anopheles moucheti , by mitochondrial and ribosomal DNA polymorphism
Author(s) -
KENGNE P.,
ANTONIONKONDJIO C.,
AWONOAMBENE H. P.,
SIMARD F.,
AWOLOLA T. S.,
FONTENILLE D.
Publication year - 2007
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 - 10.1111/j.1365-2915.2007.00681.x
Subject(s) - biology , internal transcribed spacer , ribosomal dna , subspecies , mitochondrial dna , ribosomal rna , polymerase chain reaction , genetics , species complex , zoology , anopheles , gene , malaria , evolutionary biology , phylogenetics , phylogenetic tree , immunology
Distinction between members of the equatorial Africa malaria vector Anopheles moucheti (Evans) s.l. (Diptera: Culicidae) has been based mainly on doubtful morphological features. To determine the level of genetic differentiation between the three morphological forms of this complex, we investigated molecular polymorphism in the gene encoding for mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase b (CytB) and in the ribosomal internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS2). The three genomic regions revealed sequence differences between the three morphological forms similar in degree to the differences shown previously for members of other anopheline species groups or complexes (genetic distance d = 0.047–0.05 for CytB, 0.084–0.166 for ITS1 and 0.03–0.05 for ITS2). Using sequence variation in the ITS1 region, we set up a diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for rapid and reliable identification of each subspecies within the An. moucheti complex. Specimens of An. moucheti s.l. collected in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda and Nigeria were successfully identified, demonstrating the general applicability of this technique.