Biomaterial Database

Chromosomal evidence for sibling species of the malaria vector Anopheles (Cellia) culicifacies Giles. 1980

C A Green, and S J Miles

The ovarian polytene chromosomes of adult Anopheles culicifacies from natural populations in Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka, and from four laboratory colonies (one from Pakistan and three from India) are compared with the published cytological map for this taxon. Two types of X-chromosome exist. One of these is identical with the published map; the other differs by two inversions. No autosome arm rearrangements are detected. A photomap is presented which documents the X-chromosome inversions. Both types of Xs are found in a natural population near New Delhi in the apparent absence of heterozygotes. This is interpreted as evidence for biologically distinct species within the taxon An. culicifacies Giles. The formal taxonomic and practical implications are briefly discussed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007303	Insect Vectors	Insects that transmit infective organisms from one host to another or from an inanimate reservoir to an animate host.	Insect Vector,Vector, Insect,Vectors, Insect
D008288	Malaria	A protozoan disease caused in humans by four species of the PLASMODIUM genus: PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM; PLASMODIUM VIVAX; PLASMODIUM OVALE; and PLASMODIUM MALARIAE; and transmitted by the bite of an infected female mosquito of the genus ANOPHELES. Malaria is endemic in parts of Asia, Africa, Central and South America, Oceania, and certain Caribbean islands. It is characterized by extreme exhaustion associated with paroxysms of high FEVER; SWEATING; shaking CHILLS; and ANEMIA. Malaria in ANIMALS is caused by other species of plasmodia.	Marsh Fever,Plasmodium Infections,Remittent Fever,Infections, Plasmodium,Paludism,Fever, Marsh,Fever, Remittent,Infection, Plasmodium,Plasmodium Infection
D002874	Chromosome Mapping	Any method used for determining the location of and relative distances between genes on a chromosome.	Gene Mapping,Linkage Mapping,Genome Mapping,Chromosome Mappings,Gene Mappings,Genome Mappings,Linkage Mappings,Mapping, Chromosome,Mapping, Gene,Mapping, Genome,Mapping, Linkage,Mappings, Chromosome,Mappings, Gene,Mappings, Genome,Mappings, Linkage
D005260	Female		Females
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D000852	Anopheles	A genus of mosquitoes (CULICIDAE) that are known vectors of MALARIA.	Anopheles gambiae
D013045	Species Specificity	The restriction of a characteristic behavior, anatomical structure or physical system, such as immune response; metabolic response, or gene or gene variant to the members of one species. It refers to that property which differentiates one species from another but it is also used for phylogenetic levels higher or lower than the species.	Species Specificities,Specificities, Species,Specificity, Species
D014960	X Chromosome	The female sex chromosome, being the differential sex chromosome carried by half the male gametes and all female gametes in human and other male-heterogametic species.	Chromosome, X,Chromosomes, X,X Chromosomes