High Levels of Diversity in Subgenus Revealed by Species Delimitation Analyses.

The subgenus is a poorly understood group of mosquitoes that includes several species of medical importance. Although there are currently twelve recognized species in the subgenus, previous studies have shown that this is likely to be an underestimate of species diversity. Here, we undertake a baseline study of species delimitation using the barcode region of the mtDNA gene to explore species diversity among a geographically and taxonomically diverse range of specimens.

Ancestral reconstruction and correlation of the frequencies of the hemoglobin S allele and the Duffy blood group alleles in human populations.

Objectives: Malaria is an important selective force for human genetic adaptation due to the sustained, lethal impact it has had on populations worldwide. High frequencies of both hemoglobin S and the null allele FYB of the Duffy blood group have been found in areas where this disease is endemic, attributed to the protective action of the carriers of these variants against malaria infection. The objective of this work was to perform ancestral reconstruction and analyze the correlation of the frequencies of these alleles throughout the phylogeny of 24 human populations.

Ecology of Sand Flies (Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) and Natural Infection of Pintomyia townsendi With Leishmania amazonensis in a Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Focus in Colombia.

Humans have influenced the epidemiological patterns of American cutaneous leishmaniasis by habitat disturbance, which has led to the emergence of new transmission foci. In these transmission areas, detecting natural infection of sand fly species with Leishmania parasites is of prime importance in epidemiological studies. In this study, we examined the species composition, spatial distribution, seasonality, and natural infection with Leishmania of the sand fly fauna in an emergent leishmaniasis focus located in Colombia.

[Anopheles darlingi (Diptera: Culicidae) Rood 1926: Morphometric variations in wings and legs of populations from Colombia].

Introduction: Natural populations of Anopheles darlingi, the main malaria vector in Colombia, have shown phenotypic variations in some of their diagnostic characters.

Objective: To characterize morphometric variations in wing spot patterns and diagnostic characters of the hind leg of adult females of An. darlingi collected in areas where malaria is endemic.

Molecular taxonomy provides new insights into anopheles species of the neotropical arribalzagia series.

Phylogenetic analysis of partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (COI) and nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequences were used to evaluate initial identification and to investigate phylogenetic relationships of seven Anopheles morphospecies of the Arribalzagia Series from Colombia. Phylogenetic trees recovered highly supported clades for An. punctimaculas.

Morphology of the larvae, male genitalia and DNA sequences of Anopheles (Kerteszia) pholidotus (Diptera: Culicidae) from Colombia.

Since 1984, Anopheles (Kerteszia) lepidotus has been considered a mosquito species that is involved in the transmission of malaria in Colombia, after having been incriminated as such with epidemiological evidence from a malaria outbreak in Cunday-Villarrica, Tolima. Subsequent morphological analyses of females captured in the same place and at the time of the outbreak showed that the species responsible for the transmission was not An. lepidotus, but rather Anopheles pholidotus.

Anthropophilic biting behaviour of Anopheles (Kerteszia) neivai Howard, Dyar & Knab associated with Fishermen's activities in a malaria-endemic area in the Colombian Pacific.

On the southwest Pacific Coast of Colombia, a field study was initiated to determine the human-vector association between Anopheles (Kerteszia) neivai and fishermen, including their nearby houses. Mosquitoes were collected over 24-h periods from mangrove swamps, marshlands and fishing vessels in three locations, as well as in and around the houses of fishermen. A total of 6,382 mosquitoes were collected.

Malaria vector species in Colombia: a review.

Here we present a comprehensive review of the literature on the vectorial importance of the major Anopheles malaria vectors in Colombia. We provide basic information on the geographical distribution, altitudinal range, immature habitats, adult behaviour, feeding preferences and anthropophily, endophily and infectivity rates. We additionally review information on the life cycle, longevity and population fluctuation of Colombian Anopheles species.

Confirmation of Anopheles (Anopheles) calderoni Wilkerson, 1991 (Diptera: Culicidae) in Colombia and Ecuador through molecular and morphological correlation with topotypic material.

The morphologically similar taxa Anopheles calderoni, Anopheles punctimacula, Anopheles malefactor and Anopheles guarao are commonly misidentified. Isofamilies collected in Valle de Cauca, Colombia, showed morphological characters most similar to An. calderoni, a species which has never previously been reported in Colombia.

A population genetics study of Anopheles darlingi (Diptera: Culicidae) from Colombia based on random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction and amplified fragment lenght polymorphism markers.

The genetic variation and population structure of three populations of Anopheles darlingi from Colombia were studied using random amplified polymorphic markers (RAPDs) and amplified fragment length polymorphism markers (AFLPs). Six RAPD primers produced 46 polymorphic fragments, while two AFLP primer combinations produced 197 polymorphic fragments from 71 DNA samples. Both of the evaluated genetic markers showed the presence of gene flow, suggesting that Colombian An.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis of Anopheles nuneztovari (Diptera: Culicidae) from Western and northeastern Colombia.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to analyze 119 DNA samples of three Colombian Anopheles nuneztovari populations to study genetic variation and structure. Genetic diversity, estimated from heterozygosity, averaged 0.34.