Anopheles culicifacies, the major rural malaria vector in India, is actually a complex of morphologically indistinguishable sibling species designated A to E. In India, the members incriminated as the most important malaria vectors within this complex are:

• A Sibling species A and D
• B Sibling species D and E
• C Sibling species C and E
• D Sibling species B and C ✓

Explanation

Of the five sibling species of the culicifacies complex, D and C are widely distributed across India and are responsible for the bulk of rural malaria transmission; species D is largely zoophilic but still transmits where man-vector contact is high. Species A is restricted mainly to western India and species E is a minor vector, which eliminates the other combinations.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.