title: Morphological abnormalities in species of the quadrimaculatus complex of Anopheles (Diptera: Culicidae).
abstract: This report provides results of the first detailed examination of morphological abnormalities occurring in adults, pupae, and 4th-instar larvae of a sibling species complex within the family Culicidae. Aberrant and/or anomalous setae or structures are reported, along with their frequency of occurrence, for the 5 sibling species (Anopheles diluvialis, Anopheles inundatus, Anopheles maverlius, Anopheles quadrimaculatus, and Anopheles smaragdinus) of the Quadrimaculatus Complex of Anopheles. A total of 21,684 specimens were examined. In the pupal stage, the presence of seta 11-II was the most common anomaly, whereas in the 4th-instar larva, branching of seta 2-C occurred most frequently. Abnormalities in the male genitalia usually involved the claspette or tergum IX. Other abnormalities in females, male genitalia, pupae, and 4th-instar larvae occurred infrequently.
authors.affiliation: Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology (CMAVE), United States Department of Agriculture, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Reinert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D005837:Genitalia, Male / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D007814:Larva / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008297:Male; D011679:Pupa / Q000033:anatomy & histology