Assessment of wing geometric morphometrics of urban Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) populations

Author(s)

Oliveira-Christe, Rafael ; de Carvalho, Gabriela Cristina ; Wilke, Andre Barretto Bruno ; Marrelli, Mauro Toledo

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Acta Tropica; v. 245, p. 7-pg., 2023-06-20.

Abstract

Culex quinquefasciatus is a cosmopolitan species distributed throughout tropical and subtropical areas of the world. The species is of great epidemiological importance as it is responsible for vectoring the causative agent of lymphatic filariasis and several arboviruses, including West Nile virus. Wing geometric morphometrics has been widely used to assess phenotypic variations in mosquito species. Here, we hypothesize that Cx. quinquefasciatus populations in urban parks in the city of Sa & SIM;o Paulo, Brazil, have been subjected to anthropogenic selective pressures that are responsible for driving their ecology and behavior. Mosquitoes were collected by CDC traps in five municipal parks in the city of Sa & SIM;o Paulo. Eighteen anatomical landmark coordinates on each female right wing were digitized. Canonical variate analysis, wireframe graphs, cross-validated reclassification tests and the neighbor-joining method were used to assess phenotypical dissimilarity in wing shape between populations. Centroid size was calculated to assess differences in wing size between populations, which can result from different environmental conditions during immature mosquito development. Moderately heterogeneous wing shape and wing size patterns were found in the populations analyzed, indicating that selective pressures in the urban environment are affecting the wing patterns of Cx. quinquefasciatus populations in the city of Sa & SIM;o Paulo, Brazil. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/25437-6 - Study of potential vectors and ecological factors associated with the emergence and circulation of yellow fever in Brazil
• Grantee: Mauro Toledo Marrelli
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 17/23127-7 - Analysis of the influence of the landscape on the population structure of mosquitoes Haemagogus (Conopostegus) leucocelaenus (Diptera: Culicidae) in areas with historical of Yellow Fever epizootics in non-human primates in the State of São Paulo
• Grantee: Ramon Wilk da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 18/18751-6 - Development of predictive models for the dynamics of transmission and spatial dispersion of the sylvatic yellow fever in Brazil.
• Grantee: Antônio Ralph Medeiros de Sousa
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral