[On molecular identification and taxonomic status of Anopheles lesteri and Anopheles anthropophagus in China (Diptera: Culicidae)].
OBJECTIVE
To clarify the taxonomic status of Anopheles lesteri and An. anthropophagus in China.


METHODS
Using molecular identification (PCR assay and rDNA-ITS2 sequencing) to examine the field anopheline mosquito specimens from Liaoning and Shandong. According to the ITS2 sequences, molecular phylogenetic tree was made.


RESULTS
According to the molecular identification, An. lesteri and An. anthropophagus were distributed both in Liaoning Province and Shandong Province. The length and GC content of rDNA-ITS2 sequence were 451 bp, 46.2% in An. lesteri (n = 6), and 448 bp, 46.0% in An. anthropophagus (n = 10), respectively. The ITS2 sequences from presentation sites were same in An. lesteri, while the intraspecies difference in An. anthropophagus was 0.88%. The specific difference between An. lesteri and An. anthropophagus was 25.7%. By analyzing molecular phylogenetic tree, the relationship between An. lesteri and An. sinensis, An. anthropophagus and An. liangshanensis was found to be closer.


CONCLUSIONS
According to the molecular identification, it was defined that An. lesteri and An. anthropophagus were sympatric independent species in China.
Ma
Y J
YJ
Department of Etiologic Biology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433.
Qu
F Y
FY
Cao
Y C
YC
Yang
B J
BJ
D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D002681:China; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
D004275:DNA, Ribosomal