Comparison of DNA-Probe and Isoenzyme Methods for Differentiating Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles arabiensis (Diptera: Culicidae)1

Abstract

The effectiveness of a recently developed DNA-probe method of identifying the morphologically identical mosquito species Anopheles gambiae Giles and A. arabiensis Patton was compared to that of an enzymatic typing method. Specimens reared from eggs laid by wild-caught females collected in Kenya were used. Either individual specimens were split and tested by both methods, or different individuals from isofemale egg batches were subjected to each of the two tests. Prior chromosomal analysis of material from these areas had shown that only A. gambiae and A. arabiensis were present in the samples. The DNA probe method gave results that were consistent with those obtained by enzymatic typing. No individuals or families, even those heterozygous for enzyme alleles typical of both mosquito species, showed DNA-probe hybridization patterns that suggested interspecies hybridization. This work demonstrates the validity of the DNA-probe method of distinguishing the species of field-collected specimens of A. gambiae and A. arabiensis in areas where these two species are sympatric.