Anopheles culicifacies Complex: Evidence for a New Sibling Species, Species C.

Abstract

Examination of ovarian polytene chromosomes of Anopheles (Cellia) culicifacies Giles (Diptera: Culicidae), from some villages around Delhi, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh, revealed the presence of two fixed paracentric inversions, g¹ and h¹ on chromosome 2. Inversion arrangement in species A and species B was X + ^a + ^b; 2 + g^l + h^l and Xab; 2g^l + h^l and an additional arrangement Xab; 2 + g^lh¹ was observed in the natural populations of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The positive assortative mating observed between populations with Xab; 2 + g^lh¹ and Xab, 2g¹ + h^l inversion arrangements lead us to designate the Xab; 2 + g^lh¹ population as a separate species, species C.