Towards a Genetic Map for Anopheles albimanus: Identification of Microsatellite Markers and a Preliminary Linkage Map for Chromosome 2

Fifty microsatellite loci were identified in the malaria vector Anopheles albimanus. Markers segregating in F2 progeny of crosses between laboratory stains of An. albinanus were used to construct a preliminary genetic map. More than 300 progeny were genotyped, but the resolution of the map was limited by the lack of polymorphisms in the microsatelite alleles. A robust linkage map for chromosome 2 was established and additional markers were assigned to the third and X chromosomes by linkage to morphological markers of known physical location. Addtional non-informative microsatellite sequencies are provided including some showing similarity to those of An. gambiae. This study significantly increases the number of genetic markers available for An. albinmanus and provides useful tools for population genetics and genetic mapping studies in this important malaria vector.