Phylogeny of the Pyretophorus Series of Anopheles subgenus Cellia (Diptera: Culicidae)

A cladistic analysis based on morphological characters is presented for the Pyretophorus Series of subgenus Cellia of Anopheles. The cibarial armature was investigated for the first time since the pioneering work of Christophers (1933), which is still used to define taxonomic series within Cellia, and for the first time ever using scanning electron microscopy. Christophers' observations of characters of the cibarial armature were corroborated and several novel characters discovered. Despite difficulties in delimiting and encoding morphological characters at the species level, the analysis provided insights into relationships within the Pyretophorus Series. The data support the monophyly of the Series and establish the Oriental species as a monophyletic group. The Afrotropical species are basal and paraphyletic relative to the Oriental species, with Anopheles christyi placed in the most basal position. The pattern of relationships suggests that the capacity to transmit malaria is an ancestral condition subsequently lost independently in several lineages.