Evidence for a new malaria vector species, species E, within the Anophelesculicifacies complex (Diptera : Culicidae)

Female Anopheles culinifacies Giles from Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nad u state, India, were examined for oocysts and sporozoites and their larval progeny for mitotic karyotype. Collections were made from Mandapam and Uchi puli on the mainland, and Thangachimadam and Pamban on Rameshwaram Island. Of the 451 An. culicifacies females that were collected and dissected, 24 w ere found positive for Plasmodia (21 for sporozoites and 3 for oocysts). Bo th acrocentric and submetacentric Y-chromosome karyotypes were observed amo ng the progeny of females from all villages. All 11 iso-female lines whose parental females were positive for sporozoites or oocysts had progeny with submetacentric Y-chromosomes. Total absence of sporezoite-positives among m others of acrocentric males was evidence of assortative mating between thes e 2 sympatric populations (i.e., 2 species). We propose that the nonvector population with acrocentric Y-chromosome sons retain the original designati on of species B and that the vector population with the submetacentric Y-ch romosome sons be designated as species E, a new species.