DNA content in nine species of Nematocera with special reference to the sibling species of the Anopheles maculipennis group and the Culex pipiens group

DNA values were determined for the nine species: Telmatoscopus meridionalis (family Psychodidae), Dixa obscura (family Dixidae), and Culiseta litorea, Culex pipiens, Aedes caspius, Anopheles labranchiae, Anopheles atroparvus, Anopheles stephensi, and Anopheles freeborni (family Culicidae). The DNA content indicated that the species could be divided into three categories: The Culex group with Culex pipiens, Culiseta litorea and Aedes caspius containing 1.02, 0.92 and 0.99 pg DNA in the haploid set, the Anopheles group including the four Anopheles species A. labranchiae, A. atroparvus, A. stephensi, A. freeborni and Telmatoscopus meridionalis with 0.23, 0.24, 0.24, 0.29 and 0.24 pg DNA and the third group with Dixa obscura containing 0.16 pg DNA. Within the sibling species of the Anopheles maculipennis group DNA differences were found to be present between the palaearctic and the nearctic populations. No deviations could be found between two Culex pipiens populations which were reproductively isolated.This work was supported by a grant of the Volkswagenstiftung (Germany) and by grant No. 70.1146.04 from C.N.R. (Italian Centre of Researches).