Aedes aegypti is the principal vector of the yellow fever virus and the four dengue serotypes and its hemorrhagic fever viruses. The genetic variability and differentiation of four Aedes aegypti populations from São Luis Island in the Brazilian state of Maranhão was analyzed based on the sequences of a fragment of the mitochondrial ND4 gene. A total of 58 sequences of 337 bps were analyzed, revealing the existence of 10 haplotypes, of which five were considered to be unique. Haplotype diversity for the total population was 0.6273 and nucleotide diversity 0.00748. The haplotype tree produced from the data indicated the presence of two mitochondrial lineages of the dengue vector, one of which was characterized by the H6 haplotype, found only in the population from one site (Raposa), and may represent the recent introduction of this lineage to the island. The results of the AMOVA indicated that the majority of the genetic variation (74.38%) was found within populations. However, the significant Fst value of 0.2572 indicates a certain inter-population differentiation which may result in differences in the vectorial capacity of the insect, its susceptibility to the virus or even resistance to insecticides or other ecological adaptations, all of which may limit the effectiveness of programs for the control of Ae. aegypti.
The Lesser Bulldog Bat, Noctilio albiventris, is found in all major Brazilian phytogeographic domains. We extend the known distribution of this species in the Cerrado, where 3 specimens were collected in the municipality of Caxias, which is within the Cerrado domain of the state of Maranhão, northeastern Brazil. Our analysis of the COI gene confirms the morphological identification of the specimens, based on a 99.8-100% similarity with known sequences. This record extends the known distribution of N. albiventris 260 km to the east, in the state of Maranhão, and 986 km to the north, in the Cerrado biome.
KeywordsMaranhão; bats; DNA barcode; mitochondrial gene.
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