Chromosome phylogenies of malaria mosquitoes.

Malaria mosquitoes often belong to complexes of sibling species, members of which are morphologically and genetically similar to each other. However, members within these complexes can vary significantly in their ecological adaptations and abilities to transmit the malaria parasite. The high degree of genetics similarity among sibling species makes the reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships within species complexes difficult. This paper reviews studies that infer the ancestral--descendant relationships among sibling species using molecular markers and chromosomal inversions. A methodology based on analyzing breakpoints of fixed overlapping inversions is shown to be useful for rooting phylogenies in complexes of sibling species, if the chromosomal arrangements in outgroup species are known. The construction of detailed phylogenies for malaria vectors will help to identify the association of evolutionary genomic changes with the origin of human blood choice and specific ecological adaptations.