Maintenance of chromosome arm integrity between two Anopheles mosquito subgenera

Low-resolution chromosomal homology between Anopheles gambiae and A. albima nus was determined by polytene chromosome in situ cross hybridization of 17 recombinant DNA and PCR products hybridizing to 23 loci. Hybridization res ults reflect that the chromosomes have rearranged in the form of autosomal whole-arm translocations and numerous paracentric inversions and not by lar ge detectable pericentric inversions or partial arm translocations. An. gam biae and An. albimanus chromosomes hence differ from each other by possessi ng alternative autosomal arm associations and rearranged internal structure of each arm, but the integrity of the whole arms has remained conserved. I n addition, a photomap of the larval salivary gland polytene chromosomes of An. albimanus that we used to identify sites of hybridization in this spec ies is presented that delineates further banding details than maps publishe d in the past.