Eur. J. Entomol. 103 (1): 233-237, 2006 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2006.025

Molecular studies of Anopheles culicifacies (Diptera: Culicidae) in Sri Lanka: Sibling species B and E show sequence identity at multiple loci

Sinnathamby Noble SURENDRAN1,2, Nicola J. HAWKES2, Andrew STEVEN2, Janet HEMINGWAY2, Ranjan RAMASAMY3
1 Department of Zoology, University of Jaffna, Jaffna, Sri Lanka; e-mail: noble@jfn.ac.lk
2 Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool, L3 5QA, UK
3 Institue of Medicine, University of Brunei, Jalan Tunku Link, Gadong BE1410, Brunei Darussalam

The anomaly that Anopheles culicifacies (Diptera: Culicidae) species B is a major vector of malaria in Sri Lanka, but a non-vector in India, has been noted for several years. In 1999, a Y chromosome dimorphism associated with Plasmodium vivax infectivity within the Indian A. culicifacies species B suggested that this was itself a complex of two sibling species, B and E. A recent cytogenetic analysis shows the sympatric presence of these sibling species in Sri Lanka, a situation similar to that reported from nearby Rameshwaram Island, India. Species E, with a submetacentric Y chromosome, is a more effective vector of P. vivax than species B with an acrocentric Y chromosome. Larval karyotyping, however, is time-consuming and labour-intensive. Recently, the development of a PCR-RFLP assay distinguishing species B and E of A. culicifacies from India, based on differences in one region of the cytochrome oxidase subunit II (COII) gene, was reported. Here we show that whilst this diagnostic approach reveals polymorphism in Sri Lankan A. culicifacies, this variation is not correlated with Y chromosome karyotype. Hence this assay will not be useful for distinguishing species B and E in Sri Lanka. Further, we found no difference between the sequences of Sri Lankan specimens in any of three other regions (ITS2, D3 region of 28S rDNA, and guanylate cyclase intron) often used for species discrimination.

Keywords: Anopheles culicifacies, species B, species E, Y-chromosome dimorphism, cytochrome oxidase II, ITS2, 28S rDNA, guanylate cyclase

Received: December 16, 2004; Revised: September 28, 2005; Accepted: September 28, 2005; Published: January 30, 2006  Show citation

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SURENDRAN, S.N., HAWKES, N.J., STEVEN, A., HEMINGWAY, J., & RAMASAMY, R. (2006). Molecular studies of Anopheles culicifacies (Diptera: Culicidae) in Sri Lanka: Sibling species B and E show sequence identity at multiple loci. EJE, 103(1), 233-237. doi: 10.14411/eje.2006.025
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