Analysis of ITS2 DNA sequences from Brazilian Anopheles darlingi (Diptera: Culicidae)

Specimens of Anopheles darlingi Root, the major vector of malaria in Brazil, were collected from several states in Brazil: Sao Paulo (Dourado), Bahia (Itabela), Rondônia (Porto Velho), Roraima (Boa Vista), and Acre (Plácido de Castro). Sequence divergence in the 2nd internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) was examined. The ITS2 sequences of mosquitoes captured in the Amazon region (Porto Velho, Boa Vista and Plácido de Castro) and in the northeast of Brazil (Itabela) were almost identical; however, a 4-5% sequence divergence was observed in the ITS2 of mosquitoes captured in the southeast (Dourado). Further analysis is needed to determine if these differences indicate that Dourado population may be a separate species.