GENETICS OF OLIVE-GREEN LARVAL COLOUR MUTANT IN ANOPHELES STEPHENSI – A MALARIA VECTOR
Journal of Medical Arthropodology & Public Health
Archives Vol 6 Issue 1
Authors

Chaitali Ghosh, Soumya M, Susanta Kumar Ghosh

Publication History: Received March 20, 2026/ Revised April 13, 2026 / Accepted May 11, 2026
Abstract

Background: Anopheles stephensi is the primary vector of urban malaria in the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East, creating an emerging threat in Africa.

Methods: A new olive-green (olg) mutant has been identified and isolated from insectary colony strains of An. stephensi. Its body colour is highly prominent in 3rd and 4th-instar larvae and persists through the pupal stage.

Results: To determine the genetic basis of this mutant, crossing olg with wild type mosquitoes demonstrates that the olg gene is autosomal, recessive, and controlled by a single gene. The colour expression is uniform in both sexes.

Conclusion: This mutant can be used as a genetic marker and for genetic mapping in basic and applied genetic research. The olg mutation in the urban malaria vector can be used in advanced malaria research to better understand the genetics of this species.

Citation

Chaitali Ghosh, Soumya M, Susanta Kumar Ghosh, 2026. GENETICS OF OLIVE-GREEN LARVAL COLOUR MUTANT IN ANOPHELES STEPHENSI – A MALARIA VECTOR. Journal of Medical Arthropodology & Public Health 6(1): 1187–1196.

© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Journal of Medical Arthropodology & Public Health. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.