Species Identification Within the Anopheles Funestus Group of Malaria Vectors in Cameroon and Evidence for a New Species

Abstract

Anopheles funestus is a major vector of malaria in Africa. It belongs to a group of sibling species that can be identified morphologically only at certain stages of their development. A diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based tool made it possible to differentiate five species of the group. The assay seems to be applicable over all their distribution area for four of these species: An. funestus, An. leesoni, An. parensis, and An. vaneedenip. The fifth species, An. rivulorum, is the second most abundant species of the group and can be mistaken at its adult stage for the major vector of malaria An. funestus. Molecular and morphologic observations of specimens identified as An. rivulorum from Cameroon and South Africa showed that they belong to two different taxa. The species identified in Cameroon, and named here An. rivulorum-like, might extend to western Africa and central Africa. The species-specific PCR assay is supplemented by a primer specific to An. rivulorum-like and thus makes it possible to differentiate the five species of the An. funestus group and the newly defined taxon.

Habitat Partitioning of Malaria Vectors in Nchelenge District, Zambia

“…funestus species complexes as described previously. [25][26][27][28] If a mosquito sample could not be molecularly confirmed as either An. gambiae or An.…”

Advances and Perspectives in the Study of the Malaria Mosquito Anopheles funestus

“…They are traditionally represented throughout the entire sub-Saharan Africa [1,3]. Figure 1 presents the predicted distribution of these species [11,12]. Anopheles funestus is found virtually all across the continent (Fig.…”

“…Given the laborious nature of morphological and cytogenetic techniques, several studies were undertaken for the research of simple and useful molecular identification tools [9][10][11][12]. These techniques have the advantage to be applicable to all developmental stages.…”

Trends in Insecticide Resistance in Natural Populations of Malaria Vectors in Burkina Faso, West Africa: 10 Years’ Surveys

“…Species identification difficulties have been recently addressed by molecular techniques based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) by using a cocktail of species-specific primers permitting the identification of the six most common species of the group (Koekemoer et al, 2002). Recent analyses of rDNA sequences (Cohuet et al, 2003) revealed the occurrence, in West and Central Africa, of a new taxon morphologically related to An. rivulorum Leeson, which is provisionally named An.…”