Molecular Phylogenetics of Aedes japonicus, a Disease Vector That Recently Invaded Western Europe, North America, and the Hawaiian Islands
Abstract
We used two mitochondrial loci (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit 4 and cytochrome oxidase II) and a nuclear locus (28S-D2 spacer) for a total of 1337 bp to evaluate the relationships among the four subspecies of Aedes (Finlaya) japonicus Theobald. Ae. j. japonicm was recently introduced into the United States and has been expanding rapidly. We also included in our analysis a morphologically very closely related species, Aedes (Finlaya) koreicus Edwards, as well as three more distantly related species: Aedes (Finlaya) togoi Theobald, Aedes (Finlaya) hatorii Yamada, and Aedes (Aedimorphus) vexans Meigen. Wefound that the four subspecies in the Ae.japonicus complex are genetically quite distinct but seem to form a monophyletic group that surprisingly also includes Ae. koreicus, suggesting the need for a taxonomic reconsideration of the group. We also found that the two southern subspecies are more closely related to each other than to any of the remaining subspecies or to Ae. koreicus and may indicate an ancient north-south split of the lineage. Considering the overlap between Ae. j. japonicus and Ae. koreicus, but the stronger association between Ae. koreicus and humans, we are surprised it also has not expanded from its original range. As a proactive reaction to this possibility, we designed and tested a DNA-based rapid assay to differentiate Ae. koreicus from some ofthe species with which it may be confused in the United States. These Aedes are putative vectors of several important viral encephalitides.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA550581
Entities
People
- Dina M. Fonseca
- Emilie C. Cameron
- Heung-Chul Kim
- Ichiro Miyagi
- Motoyoshi Mogi
- Richard Charles Wilkerson
- Takako Toma
Organizations
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research