title: Molecular characterization of the malaria vector Anopheles barbirostris van der Wulp in Sri Lanka.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Anopheles barbirostris is a vector of malaria in Sri Lanka. The taxon exists as a species complex in the Southeast Asian region. Previous studies using molecular markers suggest that there are more than 4 distinct clades within the An. barbirostris complex in Southeast Asia. The present study characterizes Sri Lankan An. barbirostris using mtDNA cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and ribosomal RNA internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) gene sequences.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DNA was extracted from morphologically identified An. barbirostris specimens from Sri Lanka, the COI and ITS2 regions amplified and their sequences analysed by comparison with other GenBank entries. Maximum likelihood trees suggested that Sri Lankan An. barbirostris constitute a different molecular type most closely related to clade I.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Considering the uncorrected p distances between the clade I and Sri Lankan specimens it is fair to assume that the specimens collected from widely separated locations in Sri Lanka with morphology characteristic of An. barbirostris s.l. form a new molecular type with close resemblance to An. barbirostris s.s from Indonesia and Thailand.
authors: Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Jaffna, Jaffna 40000, Sri Lanka. gayan156@gmail.com.
authors: Kanapathy
authors: K
authors: Gajapathy
authors: Pavilupillai J
authors: PJ
authors: Jude
authors: Sara L
authors: SL
authors: Goodacre
authors: Lalanthika B S
authors: LB
authors: Peiris
authors: Ranjan
authors: R
authors: Ramasamy
authors: Sinnathamby N
authors: SN
authors: Surendran
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000235:genetics* / Q000469:parasitology*; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000469:parasitology*; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D010802:Phylogeny; D013188:Sri Lanka / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV