Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association (2006) 22, 185-191

Sungsit Sungvornyothin, Claire Garros, Theeraphap Chareonviriyaphap and Sylvie Manguin (2006)
How reliable is the humeral pale spot for identification of cryptic species of the minimus complex?
Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 22 (2), 185-191
Abstract: The Anopheles minimus Complex Theobald (Diptera: Culicidae) is composed of the 3 sibling species A, C, and E. The malaria vectors An. minimus A and C are distributed over the Southeast Asian region, whereas species E is restricted to the Ryukyu Japanese islands. Because species A and C can be sympatric and present specific behaviors and have a role in malaria transmission, it is important to differentiate them. The literature mentioned the presence of a presector pale spot on the wing costa of An. minimus A, whereas species C may exhibit both presector and humeral pale spots. However, the reliability of their diagnostic power has not been established over large temporal and geographic surveys. From the analyses of 9 populations throughout Southeast Asia, including published data and field populations from 2 sites in Thailand, we showed that the wing patterns present spatial and temporal variations that make these two morphological characters unreliable for the precise identification of An. minimus A and C. Therefore, molecular identification remains the most efficient method to obtain an unambiguous differentiation of these 2 species. Correct species identification is essential and mandatory for any relevant study on the Minimus Complex and for the application of successful control strategies.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Theeraphap Chareonviriyaphap, Sylvie Manguin

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
identification/taxonomy

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Anopheles minimus		Thailand