The Anopheles gambiae complex: a new species from Ethiopia

Abstract

Historically, members of the Anopheles gambiae complex from Ethiopia have been identified chromosomally as either A. arabiensis or A. quadriannulatus. Recent collections from the Jimma area in Ethiopia, southwest of Addis Ababa, revealed 29 specimens of A. quadriannulatus based on the standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) identification method. 'Wild' females were induced to lay eggs and the progeny reared as individual families. Resulting adults were cross-mated to a laboratory colony strain of A. quadriannulatus originating from the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Hybrid progeny were obtained only from the colony female x Ethiopian male cross. This cross produced a female/male sex ratio of 0.48. Male offspring were sterile and ovarian polytene chromosomes from hybrid females showed typical asynapsis as expected in interspecific crosses within the A. gambiae complex. The X chromosomes, although apparently having homosequential banding patterns, were usually totally asynapsed. All autosomes were homosequential. The lack of inversion heterozygotes, in both the wild and hybrid samples, may simply be a reflection of the small sample size. Until such time as the Ethiopian species can be formally described and assigned a scientific name, it is provisionally designated Anopheles quadriannulatus species B because of its close similarity to this species.

<span>Sporozoite Infection Rate and Identification of the Infective and Refractory Species of <i>Anopheles gambiae</i> (Giles) Complex</span>

“…A. gambiae is a complex of eight sibling species, which presently includes A. gambiae (sensu stricto) Giles; A. arabiensis Patton; A. bwambae White; A. melas Theobald; A. merus Dönitz; A. quadriannulatus Theobald; A. amharicus Hunt, Coetzee and Fettene and A. comorensis Brunhes, le Goff and Geoffroy (Coetzee et al, 2013;Gillies and DeMeillon, 1968;Harbach, 2003;Hunt et al, 1998;White, 1974;White, 1985). These sibling species are morphologically identical, but genetically distinct (Coluzzi et al, 1979).…”

The distribution of two major malaria vectors, Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles arabiensis, in Nigeria

“…The complex consists of about seven species that vary in their ability to transmit malaria (White 1974, Hunt et al 1998. Two species of the complex, An.…”

A Simple Key for Identifying the Sibling Species of the Malaria Vector Anopheles gambiae (Giles) Complex by Polytene Chromosome Cytogenetics

“…A. gambiae complex consists of eight sibling species, which include A. gambiae sensu stricto Giles; A. bwambae White; A. merus Dönitz; A. arabiensis Patton; A. quadriannulatus Theobald; A. amharicus Hunt, Coetzee and Fettene;A. melas Theobald;A.…”

“…melas Theobald;A. comorensis Brunhes, le Goff and Geoffroy (Gillies and DeMeillon, 1968;White, 1974 and1985;Hunt et al, 1998;Harbach, 2003;Coetzee et al, 2013). Amongst these sibling species, A. gambiae and A. Arabiensis are the two major malaria vectors in Africa (Gillies and De Meillon 1968), particularly in Nigeria (Boreham et al, 1979;Onyabe and Conn, 2001;Obembe and Awopetu, 2014).…”