Chromosomal inversions among insecticide-resistant strains of Anopheles stephensi Liston, a malaria mosquito.

Polytene chromosomes were prepared from the ovarian nurse cells of semi-gravid females of ten insecticide-resistant strains of Anopheles stephensi. Altogether, 16 heterozygous paracentric inversions, namely b/+ (11D-16C) in alphamethrin; i/+ (14B-18A) and h/+ (27B-28A) in DDT; j/+ (14A-16B) in chlorpyrifos; k/+ (11D-16B) in cyfluthrin; l/+ (11A-16C) in deltamethrin; m/+ (14B-15C) and e/+ (32A-33B) in bifenthrin; n/+ (12D-14B), f/+ (33A-36A) and g/+ (33C-34A) in propoxur; o/+ (11A-12D), h/+ (37A-37C) and i/+ (31C-32C) in temephos; d/+ (33D-35C) in carbofuran and a/+ (41C-43B) in neem strains, were reported. No inversions were observed in X chromosome so far. The frequency of inversions in different insecticides was found to be highest in the 2R arm, followed by the 3R arm. Such inversions were not reported in the corresponding susceptible strains or in the parental stocks.