Mosquitoes of the Maculipennis complex in Northern Italy

Abstract

AbstractThe correct identification of mosquito vectors is often hampered by the presence of morphologically indiscernible sibling species. The Maculipennis complex is one of these groups that include both malaria vectors of primary importance and species of low/negligible epidemiological relevance, of which distribution data in Italy are outdated. Our study was aimed at providing an updated distribution of Maculipennis complex in Northern Italy through the sampling and morphological/molecular identification of specimens from five regions. The most abundant species wasAnopheles messeae(2032), followed byAnopheles maculipennis s.s.(418),Anopheles atroparvus(28) andAnopheles melanoon(13). Taking advantage of ITS2 barcoding, we were able to finely characterize tested mosquitoes, classifying all theAnopheles messeaespecimens asAnopheles daciae, a taxon with debated rank to which we referred asspecies inquirenda(sp. inq.). The distribution of species was characterized by Ecological Niche Models (ENMs), fed by recorded points of presence. ENMs provided clues on the ecological preferences of the detected species, withAn. daciae sp. inq.linked to stable breeding sites andAn. maculipennis s.s.more associated to ephemeral breeding sites. We demonstrate that historicalAnophelesmalaria vectors are still present in Northern Italy.