How to translate text using browser tools
1 July 2015 Molecular Systematics and Origin of the Mediterranean Sea Rock-Pool Mosquitoes of the Aedes mariae (Diptera: Culicidae) Complex
Valentina Mastrantonio, Daniele Porretta, Romeo Bellini, Giuseppe Nascetti, Sandra Urbanelli
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Mosquitoes belonging to the Aedes mariae complex, including Aedes mariae (Sergent & Sergent), Aedes zammitii (Theobald), and Aedes phoeniciae (Coluzzi & Sabatini), are among the few animals inhabiting the extreme habitat of sea rock pools. Morphological analysis of these species and crossing experiments conducted in laboratory and natural conditions inferred the occurrence of three taxa with a parapatric distribution along the coasts of the Mediterranean Basin. To date, however, genetic characterization of the three species within the Ae. mariae complex and an assessment of their interspecific differentiation are lacking. In this study, we used both nuclear (i.e., 14 allozymic loci) and mitochondrial genetic markers (i.e., sequences of the cytochrome oxidase I and II genes) to genetically characterize the three species belonging to the complex. Then, we used mitochondrial markers to infer phylogenetic relationships between the species and estimate the time to most recent common ancestor (TMRCA). The allozymic and mitochondrial markers showed the occurrence of three distinct gene pools, namely, Ae. mariae, Ae. zammitii, and Ae. phoeniciae. The TMRCAs for the entire in-group were estimated to have occurred during the early Pleistocene (i.e., mean node age of 1.739 million years ago). An important role of Pleistocene climatic changes could be suggested in the origin of the species of the Ae. mariae complex and in shaping their pattern of intraspecific genetic diversity.

© The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com
Valentina Mastrantonio, Daniele Porretta, Romeo Bellini, Giuseppe Nascetti, and Sandra Urbanelli "Molecular Systematics and Origin of the Mediterranean Sea Rock-Pool Mosquitoes of the Aedes mariae (Diptera: Culicidae) Complex," Annals of the Entomological Society of America 108(4), 593-599, (1 July 2015). https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/sav031
Received: 24 September 2014; Accepted: 11 March 2015; Published: 1 July 2015
JOURNAL ARTICLE
7 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

KEYWORDS
Aedes mariae complex
allozymes
genetic characterization
mitochondrial DNA
sibling species
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top