Mitochondrial Genomes of Anopheles (Kerteszia) (Diptera: Culicidae) From the Atlantic Forest, Brazil.

Mitochondrial genome sequences are widely used as molecular markers for phylogenetic studies of mosquito species complexes, such as the Anopheles albitarsis complex. Except for a few studies that employed a limited number of nuclear or mitochondrial loci to address the genetic structure and species status of Anopheles cruzii, Anopheles bellator, and Anopheles homunculus, little is known about genetic markers that can be employed in studies focusing on Kerteszia species. The complete mitochondrial genomes of seven specimens of An. bellator, An. cruzii, An. homunculus, and Anopheles laneanus were sequenced using long-range polymerase chain reaction and Illumina sequencing. The mitochondrial genomes varied from 15,446 to 15,738 bp in length and contained 37 genes (13 protein-encoding genes, 2 rRNA genes [12S rRNA and 16S rRNA] and 22 tRNA genes), and the AT-rich control region, as all do other Anopheles mitochondrial genomes sequenced to date. Specimens from four populations of An. cruzii showed differences in codon composition.

Mitochondrial Genomes of Anopheles (Kerteszia) (Diptera: Culicidae) From the Atlantic Forest, Brazil

Mitochondrial genome sequences are widely used as molecular markers for phylogenetic studies of mosquito species complexes, such as the Anopheles albitarsis complex. Except for a few studies that employed a limited number of nuclear or mitochondrial loci to address the genetic structure and species status of Anopheles cruzii, Anopheles bellator, and Anopheles homunculus, little is known about genetic markers that can be employed instudies focusing on Kerteszia species. The complete mitochondrial genomes of seven specimens of An. bellator,An. cruzii, An. homunculus, and Anopheles laneanus were sequenced using long-range polymerase chain reaction and Illumina sequencing. The mitochondrial genomes varied from 15,446 to 15,738 bp in length and contained 37 genes (13 protein-encoding genes, 2 rRNA genes [12S rRNA and 16S rRNA] and 22 tRNA genes), and the AT-rich control region, as all do other Anopheles mitochondrial genomes sequenced to date. Specimens from four populations of An. cruzii showed differences in codon composition...

New records of anopheles homunculus in central and serra do mar biodiversity corridors of the Atlantic forest, Brazil

Two new records of Anopheles homunculus in the eastern part of the Atlantic Forest are reported. This species was found for the first time in Barra do Ouro district, Maquiné municipality, Rio Grande do Sul state, located in the southern limit of the Atlantic Forest. The 2nd new record was in the Serra Bonita Reserve, Camacan municipality, southeast Bahia state. These records extend the geographical distribution of An. homunculus, suggesting that the species may be widely distributed in coastal areas of the Atlantic Forest. It is hypothesized that the disjunct distribution of the species may be caused by inadequate sampling, and also difficulties in species identification based only on female external characteristics. Species identification was based on morphological characters of the male, larva, and pupa, and corro borated by DNA sequence analyses, employing data from both 2nd internal transcribed spacer of nuclear ribosomal DNA and of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I...

Culicídeos associados às bromélias na Mata Atlântica do município de Cananéia, São Paulo, Brasil / Bromeliad associated mosquitoes from Atlantic Forest, in Cananéia, São Paulo, Brasil

A Mata Atlântica não possui fisionomia uniforme, pois seu relevo determina diferentes condições ambientais que definem a composição de sua fauna e flora. Em uma mesma região, a diversidade de espécies pode variar de acordo com a heterogeneidade dos habitats. Objetivo: Caracterizar a fauna de Culicidae em fitotelmatas de bromélias (Bromeliaceae), no município de Cananéia, São Paulo, Brasil. Métodos: Larvas e pupas de culicídeos foram obtidas, mensalmente, do conteúdo aquático de bromélias de três ambientes: planície, encosta e morro. As coletas ocorreram entre julho de 2008 e junho de 2009. Para estimar a variedade de espécies foram utilizados os índices de Margalef e de Menhinick. O índice de Jaccard e o de Sorensen indicaram a semelhança entre bromélias de dois ambientes. Para avaliar a dominância, empregou-se o índice de Simpson e de Berger-Parker. A equidade na distribuição das espécies foi avaliada pelo índice de Pielou e a constância em cada ambiente pelo índice c. Os testes estatísticos empregados foram: análise de variância (ANOVA) com o teste de Fisher; teste Kruskal-Wallis e valor p; teste de associação qui-quadrado e regressão linear simples por meio do coeficiente de correlação de Pearson. Resultados: O teste Kruskal-Wallis mostrou diferenças significantes para o volume hídrico das bromélias de cada ambiente (p=0,002, IC= 95 por cento) mas não para o valor do pH (p= 0,775). Foram identificados 2024 mosquitos, 786 (38,83 por cento) na planície, 606 (29,94 por cento) na encosta e 632 (31,23 por cento) no morro, dentre eles: Culex (Microculex) (62,25 por cento), Culex ocellatus (21,20 por cento), Anopheles (Kerteszia) (15,17 por cento), Wyemoyia (Phoniomyia) (1,33 por cento) e Runchomyia (Runchomyia) (0,05 por cento). O índice de riqueza de Margalef foi maior na planície (d1=2,55) e menor no morro (d1=1,86), e o de Sorensen indicou encosta e morro como os ambientes mais similares (QS=0,79) e planície e morro como os menos similares (QS=0,65)...

Atlantic Forest is not uniform and its relief determines different environmental conditions that define the composition of its fauna and flora. Thus, in the same region, species diversity may vary according to habitat heterogeneity. Objective: To assess mosquito (Culicidae) fauna in bromeliads phytotelmate (Bromeliaceae), in Cananéia, São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: The larvae and pupae of mosquitoes were collected monthly in the water content of bromeliads from three regions: the lowland, hillside and hilltop. Sampling occurred between July 2008 and June 2009. To estimate richness, Margalef and Menhinick indices were used. Jaccard and Sorensen indices indicated the similarity between bromeliads from two regions. To assess dominance, we employed Simpson and Berger-Parker índices. Equity in the distribution of species was assessed by Pielou index and c index evaluated species constancy in each region. Statistical analyses applied were: ANOVA with Fisher's exact test, Kruskal-Wallis test and p value; Chi-square association test and linear regression using Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: Kruskal-Wallis test showed significant differences in water volume for bromeliads from each region (p=0,002, CI=95 per cent) but not for the pH value (p=0,775). In all, 2024 mosquitoes were identified, 786 (38,83 per cent) in the lowland, 606 (29,94 per cent) on the hillside and 632 (31,23 per cent) on the hilltop, among them: Culex (Microculex) (62,25 per cent), Culex ocellatus (21,20 per cent), Anopheles (Kerteszia) (15,17 per cent), Wyemoyia (Phoniomyia) (1,33 per cent) and Runchomyia (Runchomyia) (0,05 per cent). Margalef richness index was higher in the lowland (d1=2,55) and lower on the hilltop (d1=1,86). According to the Sorensen similarity index, species from the hillside are more likely to be found on the hilltop (QS=0,79) than in the lowland (QS=0,73). The greatest differences occurred between the hilltop and the lowland (QS=0,65). The 2 test showed...