Distribution of Mosquitoes in the South East of Argentina and First Report on the Analysis Based on 18S rDNA and COI Sequences

Leonardo M Díaz-Nieto,Arnaldo Maciá,Corina M Berón,Juan L Farina,María E Vidal-Domínguez,Gustavo Parisi,M Alejandra Perotti

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0075516

Abstract

Although Mar del Plata is the most important city on the Atlantic coast of Argentina, mosquitoes inhabiting such area are almost uncharacterized. To increase our knowledge in their distribution, we sampled specimens of natural populations. After the morphological identification based on taxonomic keys, sequences of DNA from small ribosomal subunit (18S rDNA) and cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) genes were obtained from native species and the phylogenetic analysis of these sequences were done. Fourteen species from the genera Uranotaenia, Culex , Ochlerotatus and Psorophora were found and identified. Our 18S rDNA and COI-based analysis indicates the relationships among groups at the supra-species level in concordance with mosquito taxonomy. The introduction and spread of vectors and diseases carried by them are not known in Mar del Plata, but some of the species found in this study were reported as pathogen vectors.

Highlights

Humid tropics and subtropics are the natural geographical range for approximately three quarters of all mosquito species, these insects may cause a considerable problem in temperate latitudes
We explored the usefulness and constraints of 18S rDNA and c oxidase I (COI) sequences for taxonomic purposes in local mosquito species, as well as the correlation with their bionomics
We present the first sequences of 18S rDNA and COI genes of species from Argentina in order to make them available for comparative studies

Summary

Introduction

Humid tropics and subtropics are the natural geographical range for approximately three quarters of all mosquito species, these insects may cause a considerable problem in temperate latitudes. This area of the world is especially prone to suffer the consequences of global warming [1], including a rise in health risks due to an expansion of the distribution of vectors of diseases like dengue, yellow fever, malaria, lymphatic filariasis and several types of encephalitis like West Nile fever [2]. The use of 18S rDNA sequence analysis for evaluating phylogenetic relationships among some mosquito species has shown some limitations [5]

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