Phylogeny and temporal diversification of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) with an emphasis on the Neotropical fauna

Author(s)

Lorenz, Camila ^[1] ; Alves, Joao M. P. ^[2] ; Foster, Peter G. ^[3] ; Suesdek, Lincoln ^{[4, 5]} ; Sallum, Maria Anice M. ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Publ Hlth, Dept Epidemiol, Av Dr Arnaldo 715, BR-05509300 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biomed Sci, Dept Parasitol, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[3] Nat Hist Museum, Dept Life Sci, London - England

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Trop Med, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[5] Butantan Inst, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Systematic Entomology; v. 46, n. 4, p. 798-811, OCT 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Understanding phylogenetic relationships within the family Culicidae informs mosquito evolution and may have public health implications as this family includes numerous species of medical and veterinary importance. We investigated the mitochondrial genomes of 102 mosquitoes, including six newly sequenced species, representing 21 genera with an emphasis on the Neotropical region. We estimated divergence times based on sequence data and three fossil calibration points, using Bayesian relaxed clock methods. Bayesian and maximum-likelihood phylogenetic analyses based on the DNA sequences of 13 PCGs of the 102 species provided robust support for the monophyly of the subfamily Anophelinae and the tribes Aedini, Culicini, Mansoniini and Sabethini. Despite the current genera of Anophelinae being consistently recovered as monophyletic, relationships among them proved to be quite variable depending on the method used (concatenated or partitioned) and the number of taxa sampled. Molecular divergence time estimates revealed that the two mosquito subfamilies, Anophelinae and Culicinae, diverged in the early Jurassic (approximately 197.5 Mya). However, most major lineages of these groups arose after the Cretaceous, coincident with the emergence of angiosperms and the expansion of mammals and birds. The diversification and worldwide distribution of Culicidae may also be determined in part by geographic isolation as a result of continental drift during the Cretaceous. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 15/12784-1 - A mitochondrial genome phylogeny of Culicidae
• Grantee: Camila Lorenz
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 13/05521-9 - Characterization of macroevolutionary patterns in Culicidae (Diptera) using geometric morphometrics, genetic sequencing and mass spectrometry
• Grantee: Camila Lorenz
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 13/14622-3 - Comparative genomics of Trypanosomatidae
• Grantee: João Marcelo Pereira Alves
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants