Morphological variation in diagnostic features for two Culex (Culex) species of the Neotropical Region (Diptera: Culicidae)

LAURITO, M; ALMIRÓN, W.R.

ZOOTAXA

MAGNOLIA PRESS

Lugar: Auckland; Año: 2015 vol. 4052 p. 573 - 576

1175-5326

Most mosquito species from Culex (Culex) have been described based on male genitalia due to the scarce intraspecific variability, and features variability rank overlap among species as usually occurs in females and larvae. Several subgenus Culex species have been incriminated in the transmission of arboviruses in Argentina like Cx. bidens and Cx. interfor. The sister species Cx. bidens and Cx. interfor share characters from the gonocoxopodite, including the subapical lobe and its ornamentation, the paraproct shape and the lack of the phallosome dorsal arm. Mosquito specimens collected as part of an arbovirus and entomological surveillance project carried out in Northern and Central Argentina, indicate that Cx. bidens and Cx. interfor can breed in the same sites. Immature stages of both species were collected from temporary pools at ground level. Identification of the simpatric specimens of both species was based on males, detecting morphological variants of diagnostic features of the genitalia which are reported, described and photographed here. The non-variation of the male genitalia structures could be involved in the mechanical isolation as a morphological impediment to successful mating between specimens from different species. Therefore, quite relevance results to find in nature morphological variants and intermediate forms at male genitalia features between close related species. The evidence of increasing or decreasing in the frequency of occurrence of these variants, as well as using molecular markers, can give evidence of speciation process while it is happening.