GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION AND DIAGNOSTIC LOCI OF ANOPHELES NUNEZTOVARI,AN-TRINKAE, AND AN-RANGELI (DIPTERA, CULICIDAE)

Samples of Anopheles rangeli Gabaldon, Cova Garcia & Lopez, An. trinka e Causey, and An. nuneztovari Gabaldon from Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil , and Bolivia were analyzed for genetic variability at 24 enzyme loci. Estimates of genetic variability for An. rangeli and An. trinkae from Ecuador and for An. nuneztovari in Venezuela had the following ranges : 46-58% polymorphic loci, 1.7-2.0 (SEM = 0.1-0.3) mean number of alle les per locus, and 0.069-0.113 (SEM = 0.03-0.04) expected mean heteroz ygosity. Genetic variability estimates of An. rangeli from Bolivia wer e 20.8-29.2% polymorphic loci, 1.2-1.6 (SEM = 0.1-0.2) mean number of alleles per locus, and 0.037-0.054 (SEM = 0.02-0.03) expected mean het erozygosity. The estimated genetic distance between An. rangeli and An . trinkae ranged from 0.149 to 0.197. The genetic distance between the se 2 species and An. nuneztovari ranged from 0.319 to 0.440. Although there were allele frequency differences at some loci between samples o f An. nuneztovari sampled from either side of the Andes Mountains in V enezuela, there were no diagnostic loci and the estimated genetic dist ance was only 0.023. Seven enzyme loci were diagnostic between An. nun eztovari and one or both of its sister species: Acon-2, Ao, Hk-1, Idh- 2, Me, Pgi, and Pgm. The diagnostic loci Hk-1 and Acon-2 were not poly morphic in any species. An. rangeli and An. trinkae can be distinguish ed by the diagnostic loci Ao, Idh-2, and Me-1, and with a 97% probabil ity by Pgm. Distance Wagner and unweighted pair-group method with arit hmetic averaging analyses support a close phylogenetic relationship be tween An. trinkae and An. rangeli.