Secondary structure and restriction based analysis of the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS 1 and 2) of allopatric populations of Anopheles stephensi (Diptera: Culicidae).

Accurate identification of anopheline species is essential for vector incrimination and implementation of appropriate control strategies. Correct vector identification is very important to design strategies for managing vector borne diseases. Moreover, many closely related species of mosquitoes with differing ecological and host preferences are nearly indistinguishable morphologically. These factors mean that the identification of mosquitoes to a species or even a genus is often difficult. As a consequence, DNA-based approaches to mosquito identification, genetic diversity, and molecular phylogeny have gained increasing adoption. However, species and population determination is complicated by cryptic morphology and intra-individual variation. Herein, we propose a simple and reliable PCR-RFLP (Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) based method for the differentiation of allopatric populations of Anopheles stephensi byusing internal transcribed spacers (ITS 1 and 2).