Dataset Information

DNA barcoding of British mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae) to support species identification, discovery of cryptic genetic diversity and monitoring invasive species.

ABSTRACT: Correct mosquito species identification is essential for mosquito and disease control programs. However, this is complicated by the difficulties in morphologically identifying some mosquito species. In this study, variation of a partial sequence of the cytochrome c oxidase unit I (COI) gene was used for the molecular identification of British mosquito species and to facilitate the discovery of cryptic diversity, and monitoring invasive species. Three DNA extraction methods were compared to obtain DNA barcodes from adult specimens. In total, we analyzed 42 species belonging to the genera Aedes Meigen, 1818 (21 species), Anopheles Meigen, 1818 (7 species), Coquillettidia Theobald, 1904 (1 species), Culex Linnaeus, 1758 (6 species), Culiseta Felt, 1904 (7 species), and Orthopodomyia Theobald, 1904 (1 species). Intraspecific genetic divergence ranged from 0% to 5.4%, while higher interspecific divergences were identified between Aedesgeminus Peus, 1971/Culisetalitorea (Shute, 1928) (24.6%) and Ae.geminus/An.plumbeus Stephens, 1828 (22.5%). Taxonomic discrepancy was shown between An.daciae Linton, Nicolescu & Harbach, 2004 and An.messeae Falleroni, 1828 indicating the poor resolution of the COI DNA barcoding region in separating these taxa. Other species such as Ae.cantans (Meigen, 1818)/Ae.annulipes (Meigen, 1830) showed similar discrepancies indicating some limitation of this genetic marker to identify certain mosquito species. The combination of morphology and DNA barcoding is an effective approach for the identification of British mosquitoes, for invasive mosquitoes posing a threat to the UK, and for the detection of hidden diversity within species groups.

SUBMITTER: M Hernandez-Triana L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6435598 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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DNA barcoding of British mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae) to support species identification, discovery of cryptic genetic diversity and monitoring invasive species.

M Hernández-Triana Luis L A Brugman Victor V I Nikolova Nadya N Ignacio Ruiz-Arrondo Barrero Elsa E Thorne Leigh L Fernández de Marco Mar M Krüger Andreas A Lumley Sarah S Johnson Nicholas N R Fooks Anthony A

ZooKeys 20190319

Correct mosquito species identification is essential for mosquito and disease control programs. However, this is complicated by the difficulties in morphologically identifying some mosquito species. In this study, variation of a partial sequence of the cytochrome <i>c</i> oxidase unit I (<i>COI</i>) gene was used for the molecular identification of British mosquito species and to facilitate the discovery of cryptic diversity, and monitoring invasive species. Three DNA extraction methods were com ...[more]

PMID: 30930645

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Project description:Among mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae), the genus Culex Linnaeus is one of the most diverse in the world and includes numerous known vector species of parasites and viruses to humans. Morphological identification of Culex species is notoriously difficult and relies mostly on the examination of properly dissected male genitalia which largely prevents female and immature identification during entomological, ecological or arboviral surveys. The aims of this study were (i) to establish a DNA barcode library for Culex mosquitoes of French Guiana based on the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) marker, (ii) to compare three approaches of molecular delimitation of species to morphological identification, (iii) to test the effectiveness of the COI marker at a broader geographical scale across South America, and (iv) to discuss the internal classification of the genus Culex as regard to our phylogenetic analysis. Mosquitoes used in this study were sampled in French Guiana between 2013 and 2023. We provide 246 COI sequences for 90 morphologically identified species of Culex, including five new country records and two newly described species. Overall, congruence between morphological identification and molecular delimitations using the COI barcode was high. The Barcode of Life Data clustering approach into Barcode Index Numbers gives the best result in terms of species delimitation. Inconsistencies between morphological identification and molecular delimitation can be explained by introgression, incomplete lineage sorting, imperfect taxonomy or the effect of geographical gap in sampling. This increases by almost two-fold the number of mosquito species for which a DNA barcode is available in French Guiana, including 75% of the Culex species currently known in the territory. Finally, this study confirms the usefulness of the COI barcode in identifying Culex of South America, but also points the limits of this marker for some groups of species within the subgenera Culex and Melanoconion.

Project description:A transversal survey of immature mosquitoes was conducted on Mayotte Island (France) in the Comoros Archipelago, western Indian Ocean, with the aim to inventory the Culicidae and to document inter-species relationships in different habitats. In total 420 habitats were sampled for larvae and/or pupae mosquitoes, resulting in more than 6,000 specimens. Forty species belonging to 15 genera were collected, with eight taxa integrated for the first time to the Mayotte mosquito list. The most frequently recorded species were Stegomyia aegypti, St. albopicta, Anopheles gambiae and Eretmapodites subsimplicipes, the first three species being known vectors of viruses and parasites transmitted to humans. Mean species richness in habitats ranged from 1.00 to 3.29, with notable differences between habitats. For example, water-filled axils of banana leaves, tree-holes and crab-holes had low species richness, while cut bamboo, water pools, abandoned tires and marsh and swamp water had notably higher species richness. Twenty-seven mosquito species belonging to 12 genera were routinely collected (in ≥20% of at least one type of larval habitat) suggesting that multiple species play a role in the biocenosis of these aquatic habitats. Multispecies association was observed in 52% of the habitats. The co-occurrence of up to six species belonging to five genera was recorded in a single habitat. The mosquitoes of Mayotte show notable biogeographical affinities to those of Madagascar, as compared to the African continent. These two potential source areas are nearly equidistant from Mayotte, which in turn indicates biased dispersal from east to west. Our findings suggest that with relatively short-term intensive sampling in different habitats, it is possible to approach exhaustive species inventories based on collection of larvae. Mayotte, with its modest elevation range and land surface, has a notable species richness of mosquitoes with 45 well-documented species belonging to 15 genera.

Project description:BackgroundMosquitoes (Culicidae), as disease vectors, represent a risk for human health worldwide. Repeated introductions of alien mosquito species and the spread of invasive species have been recorded in different countries. Traditionally, identification of mosquitoes relies on morphological observation. However, morphology-based identification is associated with a number of potential disadvantages, such as the high level of specialisation of the operator and its limited applicability to damaged samples. In these cases, species identification is achieved through molecular methods based on DNA amplification. Molecular-based taxonomy has also enabled the development of techniques for the study of environmental DNA (eDNA). Previous studies indicated the 16S mitochondrial ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene as a promising target for this application; however, 16S rRNA sequences are available for only a limited number of mosquito species. In addition, although primers for the 16S rRNA gene were designed years ago, they are based on limited numbers of mosquito sequences. Thus, the aims of this study were to: (i) design pan-mosquito 16S rRNA gene primers; (ii) using these primers, generate a 16S rRNA gene mosquito reference library (with a focus on mosquitoes present in Italy); and (iii) compare the discriminatory power of the 16S rRNA gene with two widely used molecular markers, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 mitochondrial gene (COI) and internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2).MethodsA total of six mosquito genera (28 mosquito species) were included in this study: Aedes (n = 16 species), Anopheles (5 species), Coquillettidia (1 species), Culex (3 species), Culiseta (2 species) and Uranotaenia (1 species). DNA was extracted from the whole mosquito body, and more than one specimen for each species was included in the analysis. Sanger sequencing was used to generate DNA sequences that were then analysed through the Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD). Phylogenetic analyses were also performed.ResultsNovel 16S rDNA gene, COI and ITS2 sequences were generated. The 16S rRNA gene was shown to possess sufficient informativeness for the identification of mosquito species, with a discriminatory power equivalent to that of COI.ConclusionsThis study contributes to the generation of DNA barcode libraries, focussed on Italian mosquitoes, with a significant increase in the number of 16S rRNA gene sequences. We hope that these novel sequences will provide a resource for studies on the biodiversity, monitoring and metabarcoding of mosquitoes, including eDNA-based approaches.

Dataset Information

DNA barcoding of British mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae) to support species identification, discovery of cryptic genetic diversity and monitoring invasive species.

Publications

DNA barcoding of British mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae) to support species identification, discovery of cryptic genetic diversity and monitoring invasive species.

Similar Datasets

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