Anopheles albimanus
| Anopheles albimanus | |
|---|---|
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| Female Anopheles albimanus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Culicidae |
| Genus: | Anopheles |
| Species: | A. albimanus |
| Binomial name | |
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Anopheles albimanus C. R. G. Wiedemann, 1820 |
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Anopheles albimanus is a species of mosquito in the order Diptera. It is found in coastal Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Mexico. It is a generalist species and capable of wide dispersion.A. albimanus is a common malaria vector.
Mosquitoes have long legs and one pair of wings. Females have piercing, sucking mouthparts to penetrate hosts. Males have a proboscis as well, but are unable to pierce. The vibration of membranes on the thorax creates the distinguishable whining sound.
Anopheles albimanus appears to be a single species that shows polymorphism. It is believed that this species originated in the Caribbean, moved first to Central America, then South America. Studies suggest that the occurrence of the founder effect is the cause of the current population structure. Research using found some modest differences between Central and South American populations. It has been hypothesized that this could be due to recent pressures, such as the distance between populations, high insecticide use, or mountain ranges that act as gene flow barriers. Overall, differences in populations were found to be relatively low. Studies suggest that this is due to these mosquitoes showing excellent dispersal abilities, opportunistic feeding, and niche plasticity. As well, other species in the genus Anopheles are specialists with small populations, specific habitat requirements, and limited dispersal and distribution methods. Alternately, A. albimanus is a generalist species. Females can fly up to 32 kilometres, and specimens have been found at almost 2000 meters altitude, meaning that mountain ranges would not separate these populations as easily as other Anopheles mosquitoes. The conclusions drawn from this research was that the differences found between A. albimanus populations were not due to recent events, but rather, divergence followed by re-colonization and expansion.
These mosquitoes are currently found in Mexico, and several countries in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. They are usually present in coastal areas, at 500 meters altitude or lower; however, some have been found above 1000 meters. This species occurs in a variety of habitats in these coastal areas, with regional differences in precipitation, temperature, and vegetation. This is the most common species found in countries like Colombia.
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Wikipedia