Population genomics of Anopheles darlingi , the principal South American malaria vector mosquito

Science 2026

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Authors: Jacob A. Tennessen, Raphael Brosula, Estelle Chabanol, Sara A. Bickersmith, Angela M. Early, Margaret Laws, Katrina Kelley, Maria Eugenia Grillet, Dionicia Gamboa, Eric R. Lucas, Jean‐Bernard Duchemin, Martha L. Quiñones
+12 more Maria Anice Mureb Sallum, Eduardo S. Bergo, Jorge E. Moreno, Sanjay Nagi, Nicholas Arisco, Mohini Sooklall, Reza Niles-Robin, Márcia C. Castro, Horace Cox, Mathilde Gendrin, Jan E. Conn, Daniel E. Neafsey
DOI: 10.1126/science.adw9761
Cited by: 2
References: 80

Abstract

Malaria in South America remains a serious public health problem. Anopheles ( Nyssorhynchus ) darlingi is the most important malaria vector across tropical Latin America. Vector-targeted disease control efforts require a thorough understanding of mosquito demographic and evolutionary patterns. We present and analyze whole genomes of 1094 An. darlingi (median depth 18x) from six South American countries. We observe deep geographic population structure, high genetic diversity including 13 putative segregating inversions, and no evidence for sympatric cryptic taxa despite high interpopulation divergence. Strong signals of selection are plausibly driven by insecticides, especially on cytochrome P450 genes. Our results will facilitate effective mosquito surveillance and control while highlighting ongoing challenges that a diverse vector poses for malaria elimination in the Western hemisphere.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Malaria Research and Control Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms Mosquito-borne diseases and control

Publication details

Journal / source
Science
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Volume
391
Issue
6792
Pages
1373–1378
Publication date
26 March 2026
Language
EN