Time and mode of Culicidae evolutionary history

Abstract

Mosquitoes are insects of medical importance due their role as vectors of different pathogens to humans and other mammals. There is a lack of information about the evolutionary history and phylogenetic positioning of the majority of mosquitoes species. Here we sequenced the mitogenomes of mosquitoes species through low-coverage sequencing and data mining. A total of 37 draft mitogenomes were assembled representing 11 genera and 16 of those were sequenced for the first time. The recovered mitogenomes showed a coverage breadth average of 81.24%. Most of the species were clustered in monophyletic clades with other members of their own genus with exception of the Aedini tribe which was paraphyletic corroborating other findings. We established for the first time the monophyletic status of eight species from the tribe Mansoniini including both Coquillettidia and Mansonia genus and established the basal positioning of Aedeomyiini and Uranotaeniini tribes regarding the Culicinae subfamily. Molecular clock dated the Culicidae family emergence around 273 MYA and the split between Anophelinae and Culicinae subfamily around 182 MYA in the Jurassic period. Low-coverage sequencing is effective to recover mitogenomes, establish phylogenetic knowledge generating basic fundamental information to the understanding of the role of these species as pathogen vectors.

Toxorhynchites Species: A Review of Current Knowledge

“…Furthermore, the phylogenic relationships of Toxorhynchites have not been fully determined [20,[29][30][31]. Although it was initially suggested that Toxorhynchites is an independent subfamily within Culicidae [32], subsequent reports placed it somewhere within the Culicinae subfamily [29,[33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40]. It would be interesting to understand if hematophagy was lost in Toxorhynchites or was an adaptation that arose in specific lineages after they diverged.…”

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“…Spectacular findings, as traces of haemoglobin-derived porphyrins in the Eocene mosquito (Greenwalt et al, 2013) is very important proof of existence of blood-feeding behavior in Culicidae. Culicidae evolution, classification and internal relationships are still subject of debate (Reidenbach et al, 2009;Silva et al, 2019), and fossil records in addition to documenting the existence of extinct species, can often provide information on the behavior and ecology of ancient organisms. The coevolution of viruses with their hosts and vectors depends on the evolution of the hosts and vectors coupled with factors involved in virus evolution.…”