Abstract:
: Vectors of mosquito-borne diseases in Sri Lanka, except for malaria, belong to the subfamily
Culicinae, which includes nearly 84% of the mosquito fauna of the country. Hence, accurate and precise species
identification of culicine mosquitoes is a crucial factor in implementing effective vector control strategies. During
the present study, a combined effort using morphology and DNA barcoding was made to characterize mosquitoes
of the subfamily Culicinae for the first time from nine districts of Sri Lanka. Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1)
gene from the mitochondrial genome and the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region from the nuclear
ribosomal DNA were used for molecular characterization.
