Ecophysiological and morphological variations in mosquitoes of the Culex pipiens complex (Diptera: Culicidae)*

Mosquitoes of the Culex pipiens Linné, 1758 complex are distributed all over the world, and are of great medical and veterinary importance. They are active bloodsuckers primarily in urban environments, and serve as vectors of various pathogens infecting man and/or animals. This complex is characterized by a high ecological plasticity, and intricate taxonomic structure. The complex includes C. pipiens pipiens (anautogenous pipiens and autogenous molestus Forskĺ l, 1775 forms), C. p. quinquefasciatus Say, 1823, C. p. pallens Coquerell, 1898, C. p. australicus Dobrotworsky et Drummond, 1933, C. torrentium Martini, 1924 and C. vagans Wiedeman, 1828. The taxonomic status of some members of the complex is under debate. The peculiarity of the C. pipiens complex is that there are significant ecophysiological differences between its members, which are relatively morphologically similar. The main taxonomic characters vary. Typological and geographical variations are reflected in the male genital index DV/D. Habitat, geographical, combinative and modificative variations are reflected in the siphonal index of larvae. The degree of morphological divergence between the members was estimated using discriminant analysis. Ecophysiological differences include autogeny, stenogamy or eurygamy, reproductive diapause, and the ecological requirements of the larvae. Some of the morphological features (mean siphonal index) correlate with the ecophysiological ones, such as autogeny, stenogamy, or habitat attachment. In the temperate zone there are three mechanisms, which are result in reprodctive isolation between sympatrically 7coexisting molestus and pipiens forms: the habitat specialization of larvae, the pattern of diapause inheritance (the F1 hybrids cannot diapause and are doomed to die in winter), and differences in mating behaviour. Ecophysiological variation, morphological variation, Culex pipiens complex, Diptera, Culicidae