Diversity of clades I and II within Anopheles funestus sensu stricto in southern Africa

Anopheles funestus sensu stricto is a major malaria vector in Africa. Recently, two clades were identified in this species based on mitochondrial DNA sequence data. We investigated differences between the two An. funestus clades based on nuclear genes and internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) in the ribosomal DNA. Samples were collected from Malawi and Mozambique and were then used to sequence five nuclear genes (BU21, 9K1, 6Z3, BU021 and BU92) and the ITS2 region. The DNA sequence data was used to assess the diversity of the two An. funestus clades. We identified 12, 10, 24, 10, and 21 polymorphisms in the two An. funestus clades in the BU21, 9K1, 6Z3, BU021, and BU92 genes, respectively. No differences or polymorphisms were found in the ITS2 region between the two clades. This report assesses the diversity of the two An. funestus clades based on nuclear genes and the ITS2 region. Single nucleotide polymorphisms were found between the two clades of An. funestus. This could be explained by the existence of remaining introgression regions in the genomes of the two An. funestus clades and limited divergent regions. Further investigation is needed to determine the specific status of the two clades within An. funestus.