Fungi Associated with Anopheles Darlingi Root, 1926, Larval Breeding Sites in the Brazilian Amazon

This work explored the diversity of cultivable fungi present in the breeding sites of the South American malaria vector mosquito Anopheles darlingi . Water samples were collected from four sites located in the cities of Coari and São Gabriel da Cachoeira and four different culture media were used for the isolation of fungi. Two-hundred-and-six fungal strains were isolated and morphologically similar fungi were grouped into 30 morphotypes. Their taxonomic identities were assigned by macro- and microscopic observations and sequencing of rDNA internal transcribed spacers (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2). Twenty-six morphotypes were identified at the genus level, one only at the family level, and three were not identified. The identified morphotypes belong to the phyla, Ascomycota (80.6%), Basidiomycota (11.7%), and Mucoromycota (2.4%), distributed in five classes, ten orders, 25 families, and 26 genera. This study fills a considerable gap of knowledge about fungi present in the breeding sites of An. darlingi mosquitoes.