A cytogenetic analysis of the polytene chromosomes of Anopheles triannulatus (Diptera: Culicidae) from western Venezuela

Abstract

The larval polytene chromosomes of Anopheles triannulatus are described for the first time in this report. The population from western Venezuela was chosen arbitrarily as the chromosome standard and is the basis for the photomap presented here. Anopheles triannulatus displays whole-arm associations distinct from other members of the subgenus Nyssorhynchus that have been examined cytogenetically. The association pattern for An. triannulatus is 2R–3R and 2L–3L, rather than the more common 2R–2L and 3R–3L. The possible role of whole-arm translocations in speciation is briefly discussed.Key words: Anopheles triannulatus, polytene chromosome photomap, whole-arm translocation, Venezuela.