The Morphological Variations of Culex pipiens Larvae (Diptera: Culicidae) in Yazd Province, Central Iran
Abstract
Background: Culex pipiens complex shows variations in morphological and biological characters including different biological forms and has medical and veterinary importance. Because of having morphological variations, sometimes it is not easy to separate this species from Cx. quinquefasciatusand Cx. torrentium.The aim of this study was to identify the Culex pipiens complex species in order to use in control programs in the future.
Methods: This study was carried out in two randomly selected rural villages in Yazd County, eastern Iran using dipping technique from April to October 2009. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16.
Results: Average of siphon index in fourth-instrar larvae was 3.86±0.03, the minimum and maximum were calculated 2.43 and 5.14, respectively. Siphon/Saddle index was measured as average, minimum and maximum 3.2±0.2, 2.78, and 4.42 respectively. In our study, only 4 specimens had single seta 1 on segments III and VI (2.5%) and the remaining beard double seta (97.5%). The maximum 3-6 branches seta 1a-S and 1b-S (95%) were observed on siphon.
Conclusion: More populations of Culex pipiens from different areas of Iran need to be studied to gain complete information about the taxonomy and ecology of the species in the country.
Azari-Hamidian S (2007) Checklist of Ira- nian mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae). J Vect Ecol. 32: 235–242.
Azari-Hamidian S, Harbach RE (2009) Keys to the adult females and forth-instar larvae of the mosquitoes of Iran. Zo- otaxa. 2078: 1–33.
Azari-Hamidian S, Yaghoobi-Ershadi MR., Javadian E, Abai MR, Mobedi I, Lin- ton Y-M, Harbach RE (2009) Distribu- tion and ecology of mosquitoes in a fo- cus of dirofilariasis in northwestern Iran, with the first finding of filarial larvae in naturally infected local mosquitoes. Med Vet Entomol. 23: 111–121.
Azari-Hamidian S, Linton Y-M, Abai MR, Ladonni H, Oshaghi MA, Hanafi-Bojd AA, Moosa-Kazemi SH, Shabkhiz H, Pakari A, Harbach RE (2010) Mos- quito (Diptera: Culicidae) fauna of the Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf. J Nat Hist. 44: 913–925.
Barr AR (1982) The Culex pipiens complex.In Steiner WWM, Tabachnick WJ, Rai KS, Narang S (Eds): Recent Develop- ments in the Genetics of Insect Disease Vectors. Vol. 1. Champaign, Illinois, Stipes. pp. 551–572.
Bourguet D, Fonseca D, Vouch G, Dubois MP, Chandre F, Severini C, Raymond M (1998) The Acetylcholinesterase gene Ace: a diagnostic marker for the pipiens and quinquefasciatus forms of the Culex pipiens complex. J Am Mosq Control Assoc. 14: 390–396.
Cornel AJ, McAbee RD, Rasgon J, Stanich MA, Scott TW, Coetzee M (2003) Differences in extent of genetic intro- gression between sympatric Culex pipiens and Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) in California and South Africa. J Med Entomol. 40: 36–51.
Harbach RE (1988) The mosquitoes of the subgenus Culex in southwestern Asia and Egypt (Diptera: Culicidae). Con- trib Amer Ent Inst. 24: 1–237.
Ishii T (1991) Integrated study on the Culex pipiens complex. Akaieka newsletter. 14:35–40
Jupp PG (1978) Culex (Culex) pipiens pi- piens Linnaeus and Culex (Culex) pipiens quinquefasciatus Say in South Africa: morphological and reproductive evidence in favor of their status as two species. Mosq Syst. 10: 461–473.
Knight KL (1978) Supplement to a Catalog of the Mosquitoes of the World (Diptera: Culicidae). Thomas Say Foundation, College Park, MD.
Knight KL, Malek AA (1951) A morphologi- cal and biological study of Culex pipiens in the Cairo area of Egypt. Sot Fouad Ent Bull. 35: 175–185.
Moosa Kazemi SH, Karimian F, Davari B (2010) Culicinae mosquitoes in Sanan- daj County, Kurdistan Province, Western Iran. J Vector Borne Dis. 47: 103–107.
Smith JL, Fonseca DM (2004) Rapid assays for identification of members of the Culex (culex) pipiens complex, their hy- brids, and other sibling species (Dip- tera: Culicidae). Am J Trop Med Hyg.70: 339–345.
Vinogradova EB (2000) Culex pipiens pipiens Mosquitoes: Taxonomy, Distribution, Ee- cology, Physiology, Genetics, Applied Importance and Control. Pensoft Pub- lishers, Sofia-Moscow.
Vinogradova EB (2003) Ecophysiological and morphological variations in mosqui- toes of the Culex pipiens complex (Dip- tera: Culicidae). Acta Soc Zool Bohem.67: 41–50.
Zaim M (1987) The distribution and larval ha- bitat characteristics of Iranian Culicinae. J Am Mosq Control Assoc. 3: 568–573.
Zaim M, Cranston PS (1986) Checklist and keys to the Culicinae of Iran (Diptera: Culicidae). Mosq Syst. 18: 233–245.
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 4 No 2 (2010) | |
| Section | Articles | |
| Keywords | ||
| Culex pipiens complex larvae taxonomy Iran | ||
| Rights and permissions | |
|
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
