Cross‐species comparison of microsatellite loci in the Culex pipiens complex and beyond

In the past, we have developed microsatellite loci from the two most common members of the Culex pipiens complex, Culex quinquefasciatus and Culex pipiens. Here we describe seven additional loci and present an extensive survey of a panel of 20 loci across most of the species and subspecies in the complex as well as in morphologically related species. Because we observed a high degree of polymorphism in the flanking regions, we designed new primers and surveyed multiple populations. We present alternate primers and discuss the cross‐species usefulness of these Culex microsatellite loci in a phylogenetic context.     

Isolation of polymorphic microsatellite markers from the malaria vector Anopheles marajoara (Diptera: Culicidae)

Microsatellite‐containing regions were isolated and characterized in Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) marajoara, a primary vector of malaria parasites in northeastern Amazonia, Brazil. An enrichment protocol yielded 500 positive clones. We designed primers to amplify 40 unique microsatellites, 11 of which amplified cleanly and were polymorphic. A survey of 323 individuals showed that these loci are highly variable with the number of alleles ranging from 11 to 52, and expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.64 to 0.95. These markers will be useful for studies of population structure and intraspecific variation in A. marajoara.     

Morphological and palynological studies in Phlomis L., Eremostachys Bunge and Paraphlomis Prain (Labiatae)

Information from morphology and palynology, together with anatomical, cytological and chemical data, is utilized to examine the status of the genus Phlomis and its close relatives Eremostachys and Paraphlomis.
The recognition of the genus Paraphlomis is confirmed on morphological and palynological grounds. The data also reinforce earlier opinions about the close relationship between Phlomis and Eremostachys, which show some overlap in almost all the features examined. When infrageneric groups are considered, the indumentum, calyx-shape and pollen-sculpturing in Eremostachys section Moluccelloides differ markedly from these features in Eremostachys sections Eremostachys and Metaxoides, which show close affinities with Phlomis, especially with Phlomis section Phlomoides. Phlomis sections Phlomis and Phlomoides differ in morphology, petiolar anatomy, chromosome number and constituent flavonols. Palynological data, allied to those from morphology and geography, strongly support the removal of the Chinese species, Phlomis rolata, to the genus Lamiophlomis.