DNA Identification and Diversity of the Vector Mosquitoes <i>Culex pipiens</i> s.s. and <i>Culex torrentium</i> in Belgium (Diptera: Culicidae)
2022
Ann Vanderheyden | Nathalie Smitz | Katrien De Wolf | Isra Deblauwe | Wouter Dekoninck | Kenny Meganck | Sophie Gombeer | Adwine Vanslembrouck | Jacobus De Witte | Anna Schneider | Ingrid Verlé | Marc De Meyer | Thierry Backeljau | Ruth Müller | Wim Van Bortel
This survey reports on the DNA identification and occurrence of <i>Culex torrentium</i> and <i>Cx. pipiens</i> s.s. in Belgium. These native disease-vector mosquito species are morphologically difficult to separate, and the biotypes of <i>Cx. pipiens</i> s.s. are morphologically indistinguishable. <i>Culex torrentium</i> and <i>Cx. pipiens</i> s.s. were identified using the COI and ACE2 loci. We recorded 1248 <i>Cx. pipiens</i> s.s. and 401 <i>Cx. torrentium</i> specimens from 24 locations in Belgium (collected between 2017 and 2019). <i>Culex pipiens</i> biotypes <i>pipiens</i> and <i>molestus</i>, and their hybrids, were differentiated using fragment-size analysis of the CQ11 locus (956 <i>pipiens</i> and 227 <i>molestus</i> biotype specimens, 29 hybrids). Hybrids were observed at 13 out of 16 sympatric sites. These results confirm that both species are widespread in Belgium, but while <i>Cx. torrentium</i> revealed many COI haplotypes, <i>Cx. pipiens</i> s.s. showed only one abundant haplotype. This latter observation may either reflect a recent population-wide demographic or range expansion, or a recent bottleneck, possibly linked to a <i>Wolbachia</i> infection. Finally, new evidence is provided for the asymmetric but limited introgression of the <i>molestus</i> biotype into the <i>pipiens</i> biotype.
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