Abstract
BackgroundAnopheles maculatus, a species of the Maculatus Group of subgenus Cellia (Diptera: Culicidae), is an important vector of human malarial protozoa in Java, Indonesia. However, the identity of this species in Indonesia has been questionable because published reports and records are based mainly on morphological identification, which is unreliable for distinguishing members of the Maculatus Group due to overlapping characters.MethodsWe performed morphological assessments, metaphase karyotype preparations, phylogenetic analyses of ITS2 and cox2 sequence data and cross-mating experiments to determine whether the Javanese form and An. maculatus (s.s.) from Thailand were conspecific.ResultsThe adults of the Java strain are similar to those of An. maculatus (s.s.), but the larvae and pupae exhibit significant differences. The metaphase karyotype of Javanese specimens includes a long acrocentric X chromosome and a small telocentric Y chromosome, which are distinct from other members of the Maculatus Group. Cross-mating of the Java strain with An. maculatus (s.s.) revealed genetic incompatibility. Phylogenetic analysis of ITS2 and cox2 sequences revealed that the Java strain forms a single clade that is distinct from clades of other members of the group (Kimura 2-parameter, K2P, genetic distances 3.1–19.2% and 1.6–9.6%, respectively).ConclusionsThis study provides evidence that the Javanese form of An. maculatus is not conspecific with An. maculatus (s.s.) and constitutes a previously unrecognized species of the Maculatus Group.
Highlights
Anopheles maculatus, a species of the Maculatus Group of subgenus Cellia (Diptera: Culicidae), is an important vector of human malarial protozoa in Java, Indonesia
Females and males of the strain look similar to An. maculatus (s.s.), in particular abdominal terga II– IV are without scales; terga V and VI are without scales or have sparse pale falcate scales on the posterior margins; terga VII and VIII are largely or posteriorly covered with narrow pale spatulate scales; the posterolateral corners of terga VI–VIII, and rarely tergum V, bear patches of dark scales (Fig. 1a, b)
We consider that the two wing forms found in Javanese specimens are conspecific because both forms have similar or identical ITS2 and cox2 sequences
Summary
A species of the Maculatus Group of subgenus Cellia (Diptera: Culicidae), is an important vector of human malarial protozoa in Java, Indonesia. Among members of the group, the nominotypical species (An. maculatus) appears to be the most widely distributed species, ranging from Afghanistan, Pakistan and India eastward to the western Pacific islands, including Taiwan, the Indonesian archipelago and Timor Leste. It is absent from the Philippines where An. dispar and An. greeni are present [6, 13, 14]
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