Morphometric and allozyme variation in Culex tritaeniorhynchus mosquito populations from India

Phool Chand Kanojia1a, Mandar S. Paingankar2b, Avinash A. Patil1c, Mangesh D. Gokhale1d, and Dileep N. Deobagkar2e*

1Department of Medical Entomology and Zoology, National Institute of Virology, 20-A, Dr. Ambedkar Road, Pune 411001, India
2Molecular Biology Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Pune, Pune 411007, India

Abstract

Four populations of Culex tritaeniorhynchus (Giles) (Diptera: Culicidae), collected from Bellary, Cuddalore, Pune, and the Microbial Containment Complex laboratory culture in India were analyzed for morphological and allozyme variation. Multivariate analysis based on eight morphological characteristics and three morphometric indices was used to investigate the morphological variations among the four populations. Principal component analysis of the data suggested that siphon, saddle, and anal gills related variables were most important. Discriminant factor analysis of morphological data revealed that the four populations form significantly different clusters which can be differentiated from each other based on siphon, saddle, and pectin teeth related variables. Allozyme electrophoresis of the four populations revealed that the mean heterozygosity per locus value had high variation, ranging from 0.0879 to 1.794. Fst values between 0 and 0.519 suggested genetic differentiation within these populations. Fis values ranged from 0 to 1 with most of the values closer to 1. The allelic frequencies and Nei’s genetic identity values showed that genetic differences between populations were small, but significant. Some of the morphological and allozyme variations in the Cx. tritaeniorhynchus populations could be partly attributed to the environmental conditions. The findings suggested that transition of morphological characters and allozyme variations in Cx. tritaeniorhynchus populations seem to be consequences of influence and selection by the environmental conditions. These results indicated that populations of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus in non-endemic areas of Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus infection have higher adaptability as compared to endemic areas of JE infection.

Keywords: discriminant factor analysis, genetic variation, Japanese Encephalitis vector, population variation, principle component analysis
Abbreviation: ADH, alcohol dehydrogenase; α-Amy, amylase; β EST, β-Esterase; DFA, discriminant factor analysis; G6PDH, Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase; GLC, Glucose-1 dehydrogenase; GPD, Glycerol 3-Phosphate dehydrogenase; MCC, Microbial Containment Complex; PCA, principal component analysis; SOD, superoxide dismutase

Correspondence: akanojiapc@yahoo.co.in, bmandarpaingankar@gmail.com, cavinash.patil79@yahoo.co.in, dgokhale40@gmail.com, e*dndeo@unipune.ernet.in, *Corresponding author

Received: 6 October 2008 | Accepted: 21 October 2009 | Published: 23 August 2010

ISSN: 1536-2442 | Volume 10, Number 138

Kanojia PC, Paingankar MS, Patil AA, Gokhale MD, Deobagkar DN. 2010. Morphometric and allozyme variation in Culex tritaeniorhynchus mosquito populations from India. Journal of Insect Science 10:138, available online: insectscience.org/10.138


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