Maintenance of chromosome arm integrity between two Anopheles mosquito subgenera.

Low-resolution chromosomal homology between Anopheles gambiae and A. albimanus was determined by polytene chromosome in situ cross hybridization of 17 recombinant DNA and PCR products hybridizing to 23 loci. Hybridization results reflect that the chromosomes have rearranged in the form of autosomal whole-arm translocations and numerous paracentric inversions and not by large detectable pericentric inversions or partial arm translocations. An. gambiae and An. albimanus chromosomes hence differ from each other by possessing alternative autosomal arm associations and rearranged internal structure of each arm, but the integrity of the whole arms has remained conserved. In addition, a photomap of the larval salivary gland polytene chromosomes of An. albimanus that we used to identify sites of hybridization in this species is presented that delineates further banding details than maps published in the past.