Taxonomic review and update of the identification key for the genus Toxorhynchites (Lynchiella) (Diptera: Culicidae)

• Grant number: 23/03099-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Mauro Toledo Marrelli
• Grantee: David Campos Andrade
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Saúde Pública (FSP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The genus Toxorhynchites Theobald 1901 is a peculiar group of mosquitoes. They are predators in the aquatic phase and do not engage in hematophagy during the adult phase. Species of this group share many similarities, making it difficult to organize taxonomically, partly due to the limited studies in this regard. Although not hematophagous, Toxorhynchites attract the interest of public health because their larvae perform biological control of the population of other species of culicids, including those of medical interest that occupy the same breeding sites. One of the subgenera that requires further knowledge is the neotropical subgenus Lynchiella Lahille 1904, which currently has 17 species and is more widely distributed in Brazil. For this reason, the aim of this research is to advance the systematics of this subgenus through detailed taxonomic revision, molecular investigation, phylogenetic study, description of new species, and the development of a new dichotomous key. To achieve this, reference entomological collections will be investigated to examine and compare type material, alongside field collections of the species that make up the genus and subgenus Lynchiella. Analyses using Cytochrome oxidase subunit I and the second internal transcribed spacer of ribosomal DNA will be used to investigate the phylogeny of the species and their population structure. Two new species of the genus Lynchiella, which exhibit distinct characteristics from the other known species, will be further investigated and described. One was collected in the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro, occurring in bromeliads, and the other was found in the Caatinga of Sergipe in tree cavities. It is expected to contribute to the taxonomy of the genus Toxorhynchites and enhance knowledge of the diversity of Brazilian mosquito fauna. (AU)