title: Diversity of Culex torrentium Martini, 1925 - a potential vector of arboviruses and filaria in Europe.
abstract: Culex torrentium is one of the most common mosquito species in Germany. Due to its sympatric occurrence as well as its similar morphological and ecological characteristics, it has often been confused with another common species, Culex pipiens. Both species are known to be potential vectors for different arboviruses (not only in Germany) with C. torrentium being a possible vector for Sindbis or Ockelbo virus. In our study, we analyzed the genetic variability in a 658 bp fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (coxI) of C. torrentium, from nine localities in the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region. The results of our genetic survey indicate a higher genetic diversity in this gene region for C. torrentium than for the morphologically similar C. pipiens. Our findings may explain the difficulties in the past to find morphological characteristics that apply to all populations of C. torrentium, when attempting to separate them clearly from C. pipiens, by any other criteria than male genitalia. Being ornithophilic, possible hybrids between C. torrentium and the humanophilic C. pipiens biotype molestus, could potentially serve as important vectors for zoonotic diseases. Therefore, we recommend that greater emphasis is placed on the ecological characteristics, population structure, and the taxonomy of this often neglected species, in the future.
authors.affiliation: Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Medical Biodiversity and Parasitology; Goethe-University, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity; Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt am Main 60325, Germany.
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Werblow
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bolius
authors.forename: Adriaan W C
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Dorresteijn
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Melaun
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Klimpel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001103:Arboviruses / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003465:Culex / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D004199:Disease Vectors; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics; D005370:Filarioidea / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005858:Germany; D008297:Male; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV