Morphological and molecular characterization of Anopheles (Anopheles) maculipennis Meigen, type species of the genus and nominotypical member of the Maculipennis Complex

Adults and larvae of Anopheles maculipennis Meigen were collected in Greece in May and June 2001. Larvae and the progeny of wild-caught females were individually reared to obtain samples of all life stages for integrated morphological and molecular study. Specimens were identified on the basis of egg morphology and correlation of their ITS2 rDNA sequences with those in GenBank. The adult, pupal, larval (fourth-instar) and egg stages are described, and all stages except the egg are illustrated. Partial sequence data are provided for the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene and complete sequences for the nuclear ITS2 region. Additionally, the bionomics and distribution of the species are reviewed, and its taxonomy and systematics are discussed. This study provides the first fully integrated morphological and molecular assessment of An. maculipennis, the nominotypical member of the Maculipennis Complex, and the type species of genus Anopheles, and serves as a foundation for further studies of the complex and subfamily Anophelinae.