Species Composition, Ecological Preferences, and Chromosomal Polymorphism of Malaria Mosquitoes of the Crimean Peninsula and the Black Sea Coast of the Caucasus

Abstract

In this study, we sampled malaria mosquito larvae in natural and artificial breeding places to study the geographical distribution, ecological preferences, and chromosomal variability of different species of the genus <i>Anopheles</i> in the territory of the Crimean Peninsula and the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. Species were diagnosed using a combination of morphological, cytogenetic, and molecular markers. The ecological conditions of the larval habitats, such as dissolved oxygen content in the water, acidity, salinity, and temperature, were measured. Seven species of malaria mosquitoes were identified in the pool of 2229 individual mosquitoes collected at 56 breeding sites, including <i>An. atroparvus</i>, <i>An.&nbsp;claviger</i>, <i>An. daciae</i> (formerly identified as <i>An. messeae</i> s. l.), <i>An. hyrcanus</i>, <i>An. maculipennis</i> s. s., <i>An. plumbeus</i>, and <i>An. melanoon</i>. The previously recorded species of <i>An. algeriensis</i>, <i>An. messeae</i> s. s., <i>An. sacharovi</i>, and <i>An. superpictus</i> were not found in this study. <i>Anopheles maculipennis</i> was dominant in typical anophylogenic water bodies. <i>Anopheles plumbeus</i>, which used to breed mainly in tree holes in coastal forests, has spread to urban settlements along the Black Sea coast and breeds in artificial containers. Chromosomal polymorphism was studied and found in <i>An. atroparvus</i> and <i>An. daciae</i> populations. Differences in the chromosomal composition of <i>An. daciae</i> populations in Crimea and on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus were revealed. The Crimean population had a low level of polymorphism in autosomal inversions. The data obtained in this study can be used to inform a better control of potential malaria vectors in the Black Sea coastal region.