Journal of vector borne diseases
July 1, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Species delineation of Aedes (Neomelaniconian) lineatopennis (Diptera: Culicidae) using integrative morphological and molecular approaches, along with acoustic characterization, suggesting exclusion of Aedes mcintoshi from the mosquito fauna of India.
Swain S, Goud S, Samantaray RK, Das R, Singh H, Suman DS.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
Combined morphological, genetic and acoustic evidence shows Indian mosquitoes previously called Aedes mcintoshi are actually Aedes lineatopennis, so the former should be removed from Indian records.
What was studied
An integrative taxonomic study delineating Aedes lineatopennis from Aedes mcintoshi using morphological features, mitochondrial COI gene analysis and acoustic characterization of adult male and female flight sounds.
Key findings
- Morphological confirmation rested on thoracic yellow scale stripes, tergite basal pale bands, subcostal white scales, vein scale patterns and a longer R2 vein
- Genetically the Indian population was closer to Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai populations than African ones
- Male fundamental frequency was 598.54 Hz and female 429.9 Hz, with four harmonic bands and harmonic convergence at specific male-female harmonic pairs
- The authors recommend retracting Ae. mcintoshi from Indian mosquito records
Clinical relevance
Correct vector species identification underpins arbovirus risk assessment and control planning, though no transmission or human infection data are presented.
Who should care
Limitations
Taxonomic study of specimens from limited collections, with acoustic data as a novel but unvalidated identification aid.
A supposed arbovirus vector appears never to have been in India at all, just a lookalike species.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Background objectives aedes
( Neomelaniconion ) contains two important arbovirus vectors, Ae. lineatopennis and Ae. mcintoshi for transmission of Flaviviridae, Togaviridae, and Bunyaviridae families. Aedes lineatopennis invaded the Oriental and Australasian regions and closely resembles Ae. mcintoshi in morphology is causing confusion and misidentification among researchers. The present study delineates Ae. lineatopennis from Ae. mcintoshi using integrated taxonomic approaches.
Methods
Morphological features and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene analyses were used to establish species delineation in Ae. lineatopennis. Sound attributes for adult males and females were also generated.
Results
Aedes lineatopennis was confirmed with the morphological features, viz. thoracic broad lateral longitudinal yellow scale stripes, tergite basal pale bands, subcostal white scales, dark and white scales on various veins, and longer vein R2 (1.5x) than vein R2+3. Genetically, this population was closer to the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Thai in comparison to African populations. Sound fundamental frequency was 598.54±3.1 Hz for males and 429.9±2.8 Hz for females, with four harmonic bands and harmonic convergence at M2+F3 and M3+F4 between males and females.
Interpretation conclusion
The combined morphological, molecular, and acoustic evidence confirms that the specimens previously identified as Ae. mcintoshi in India is in fact Ae. lineatopennis . Therefore, the study recommends the retraction of Ae. mcintoshi from Indian mosquito records. This study emphasises the need for accurate species identification using integrated approaches to assess proper biodiversity and other studies.
DOI
10.4103/jvbd.jvbd_192_25
PMID
41307262
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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