S ,D Distribution of Members of Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say….pdfVIP

SAMPLING, DISTRIBUTION, DISPERSAL Distribution of Members of Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say s.l. (Diptera: Culicidae) and Implications for Their Roles in Malaria Transmission in the United States REBECCA S. LEVINE, A. TOWNSEND PETERSON,1 AND MARK Q. BENEDICT2 Entomology Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Division of Parasitic Diseases, 4770 Buford Highway, MS F-22, Chamblee, GA 30341 J. Med. Entomol. 41(4): 607Ð613 (2004) ABSTRACT The Anopheles quadrimaculatus s.l. (Say) complex consists of at least Þve species distinguished by distribution, genetic incompatibility, and allele frequencies. However, the distribu- tions of the members have only been described by collection locations. Building on this information and environmental data, preliminary predictions of their distribution were produced using a genetic algorithm and point occurrence data. Based on resulting predicted border areas and undersampled regions, we obtained and analyzed additional geo-referenced specimens and compared their distri- bution with our preliminary predictions. We found good agreement between the preliminary pre- dictions and the subsequent collections, regardless of the fact that additional specimens were delib- erately sought from areas most likely to reveal inconsistencies. Final predicted distributions describe widespread distribution of A.quadrimaculatus throughout the eastern United States. A. maverlius and A. smaragdinus have similar predicted ranges limited to the southeastern United States. The predicted ranges of the sister taxa A. diluvialis and A. inundatus were similar to one another along the