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Journals / Biyolojik Çeşitlilik ve Koruma / 2026 / Volume: 19 Issue: 3

Molecular confirmation of Culex pipiens Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera: Culicidae), Culex torrentium Martini, 1925 (Diptera: Culicidae), and Culiseta longiareolata Macquart, 1838 (Diptera: Culicidae) using ITS2 DNA barcoding

ITS2 DNA barkodlama yöntemi ile Culex pipiens Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera: Culicidae), Culex torrentium Martini, 1925 (Diptera: Culicidae) ve Culiseta longiareolata Martini, 1925 (Diptera: Culicidae) türlerinin moleküler olarak doğrulanması

Fikriye Polat(Kocaeli Üniversitesi)0000-0002-5414-2501
Serkan Dede0000-0002-9228-2812
Pages
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Publication Date
2026-09-15
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

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⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Conclusion: The ITS2 region of ribosomal DNA is a reliable molecular marker for the identification and characterization of these three mosquito species, especially for discriminating between Culex pipiens and Culex torrentium, which are difficult to differentiate based on morphology alone.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:Purpose: This study aimed to identify Culex pipiens Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera: Culicidae), Culex torrentium Martini, 1925 (Diptera: Culicidae), and Culiseta longiareolata Macquart, 1838 (Diptera: Culicidae) species using the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region of ribosomal DNA and to provide molecular characterization of these species.
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Key Findings & Data:Method: Mosquito samples collected in Kocaeli between 2017 and 2020 were used in the study.
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Conclusion & Impact:Conclusion: The ITS2 region of ribosomal DNA is a reliable molecular marker for the identification and characterization of these three mosquito species, especially for discriminating between Culex pipiens and Culex torrentium, which are difficult to differentiate based on morphology alone.
🔬Design:Research Article
📍Scope:2017 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Mosquito · ribosomal RNA · DNA barcoding

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to identify Culex pipiens Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera: Culicidae), Culex torrentium Martini, 1925 (Diptera: Culicidae), and Culiseta longiareolata Macquart, 1838 (Diptera: Culicidae) species using the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region of ribosomal DNA and to provide molecular characterization of these species. Method: Mosquito samples collected in Kocaeli between 2017 and 2020 were used in the study. Genomic DNA isolated from the samples was amplified by PCR using suitable primers for ITS2. Agarose gel electrophoresis results of the ITS2 region revealed different band lengths among the species, consistent with the structure of ITS2 exhibiting length polymorphism. The ITS2 sequences obtained from DNA sequencing were submitted to GenBank and compared with reference sequences in the NCBI database. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted using MEGA X software with 1000 bootstrap replicates. Findings: Sequence analysis and phylogenetic tree construction confirmed that the analyzed samples belonged to Culex pipiens, Culex torrentium, and Culiseta longiareolata. The ITS2 region revealed length polymorphism across species on agarose gel and proved particularly effective in distinguishing between the morphologically similar species Culex pipiens and Culex torrentium. Conclusion: The ITS2 region of ribosomal DNA is a reliable molecular marker for the identification and characterization of these three mosquito species, especially for discriminating between Culex pipiens and Culex torrentium, which are difficult to differentiate based on morphology alone.

Özet

Amaç: Bu çalışma, Culex pipiens Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera: Culicidae), Culex torrentium Martini, 1925 (Diptera: Culicidae) ve Culiseta longiareolata Macquart, 1838 (Diptera: Culicidae) türlerini ribozomal DNA'nın internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) bölgesini kullanarak tanımlamayı ve bu türlerin moleküler karakterizasyonunu sağlamayı amaçlamıştır. Yöntem: Çalışmada 2017-2020 yılları arasında Kocaeli'nde toplanan sivrisinek örnekleri kullanılmıştır. Örneklerden izole edilen genomik DNA, ITS2 için uygun primerler kullanılarak PCR ile çoğaltılmıştır. ITS2 bölgesinin agaroz jel elektroforezi sonuçları, türler arasında farklı bant uzunlukları ortaya koymuş olup bu durum, uzunluk polimorfizmi gösteren ITS2'nin yapısıyla tutarlıdır. Ardından DNA dizilemesinden elde edilen ITS2 dizileri GenBank'a gönderilmiş ve NCBI veri tabanındaki referans dizilerle karşılaştırılmıştır. Filogenetik analizler, MEGA X yazılımı kullanılarak 1000 bootstrap tekrarı ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bulgular: Dizi analizi ve filogenetik ağaç oluşturma, analiz edilen örneklerin Culex pipiens, Culex torrentium ve Culiseta longiareolata türlerine ait olduğunu doğrulamıştır. ITS2 bölgesi, agaroz jel üzerinde türler arasında uzunluk polimorfizmi göstermiş ve özellikle morfolojik olarak benzer olan Culex pipiens ile Culex torrentium türlerini ayırt etmede etkili olduğunu kanıtlamıştır. Sonuç: Ribozomal DNA'nın ITS2 bölgesi, özellikle morfolojiye dayalı olarak ayırt edilmesi zor olan Culex pipiens ve Culex torrentium türlerinin ayrımında olmak üzere, bu üç sivrisinek türünün tanımlanması ve karakterizasyonu için güvenilir bir moleküler belirteçtir.

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Cite This Article

Polat, F., Dede, S. (2026). Molecular confirmation of Culex pipiens Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera: Culicidae), Culex torrentium Martini, 1925 (Diptera: Culicidae), and Culiseta longiareolata Macquart, 1838 (Diptera: Culicidae) using ITS2 DNA barcoding. Biyolojik Çeşitlilik ve Koruma, Volume: 19 Issue: 3. https://doi.org/10.46309/biodicon.2026.1973521

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