Intraspecific variation within Phlebotomus sergenti (Diptera: Psychodidae) based on mtDNA sequences in Islamic Republic of Iran

An intraspecific study on the morphological and molecular characteristics of Phlebotomus sergenti s.l., the main vector of Leishmania tropica, was performed on 28 Iranian populations from 11 provinces and a few samples from Greece, Morocco, Lebanon, Turkey, Pakistan, and Syria. Three morphotypes were identified as A, B and C, with some intermediate forms in the samples under investigation. Based on the number of setae and the width of basal lobe of coxite, differences between A and B morphotypes were highly significant. Excluding one unusual haplotype, sequence analysis of 439 bp of mtDNA (a fragment of cytochromeB gene, tRNA for serine gene, and a fragment of NADH1 gene) revealed a 6–7% genetic distance within the Iranian populations and among the specimens of other countries. Neighbor–Joining (NJ) analysis confirmed the existence of three main groups within our samples. Although there was no consistency between morphotypes and genotypes, but an interrelationship was found between morphometry and morphotypes. Morphotype A, which was considered as P. sergenti sergenti, was the most prevalent in collection sites. Morphotype B, which was identified as Phlebotomus sergenti similis, is the first record of this subspecies in Iran, and was found to be sympatric with other morphotypes. Morphotype C had an elongated style in comparison with P. sergenti sergenti. Molecular database showed three main genetic structures. This is the first combined morphological and molecular studies on P. sergenti s.l. in Iran.