Genetic diversity in cytochrome c oxidase I gene of <i>Anopheles</i> mosquitoes

<p>Genetic diversity in cytochrome c oxidase I (coxI) among 7 species of <i>Anopheles</i> mosquitoes from Pakistan, and 37 species from different geographical regions of the world, was recorded. Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD) analysis revealed a clear gap between intraspecific and interspecific distances of 7 species from Pakistan. However, genetic distances of 37 <i>Anopheles</i> species failed to adequately differentiate species in a global context. Intraspecific and interspecific divergences for 7 <i>Anopheles</i> species of Pakistan varied from 0.0% to 2.5% (mean = 0.49%) and 8% to 22.3% (mean = 12.77%), respectively. Similarly, intraspecific distances for 37 species from different parts of world ranged from 0.0% to 11.2% (mean = 0.65%) while values of interspecific divergences ranged from 3.4% to 35% (mean = 11.75%). Although phylogenetic tree revealed separate clades for 7 <i>Anopheles</i> species of Pakistan, it failed to produce separate clades for 37 species of the world. It is concluded that although standard barcode region is helpful for identifying <i>Anopheles</i> mosquitoes, combination of multi-locus approaches and morphology may be required to accurately identify species in this genus.</p