Unraveling Wing Shape Variation in Malaria Mosquitoes from the Arctic Edge: A Geometric Morphometric Study in Western Siberia.

ABSTRACT: In Russia, Western Siberia, Anopheles from maculipennis subgroup comprises three vector species: An. messeae, An. daciae, An. beklemishevi, and the hybrid between An. messeae and An. daciae (Anopheles m-d), which exhibit complex cryptic morphological traits. Traditional morphological methods, such as egg morphology and exochorion coloration, have proven insufficient for reliably distinguishing these closely related species due to overlapping characteristics and high intra-species variability. To overcome these limitations, geometric morphometrics (GM) has emerged as a powerful tool for analyzing cryptic morphology. This article focuses on wing venation patterns, where GM provides precise, quantitative data based on defined anatomical

SUBMITTER: Calderon X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12560864 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature