Validation of a ribosomal DNA-polymerase chain reaction species diagnostic assay for the common malaria mosquito (Diptera:Culicidae) sibling species complex.
A polymerase chain reaction method for identifying individuals in the Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say sibling species complex was validated for wild mosquitoes from Louisiana and Mississippi. This method distinguished An. quadrimaculatus species A, B, C, and D by detecting species-specific differences in the 2nd internal transcribed spacer of ribosomal DNA and was 100% specific and 95% sensitive.