A Parasite's Tale• In the early s,
sporadic, localized outbreaks of malaria began to appear The disease is caused by a microsporidian protist parasites in genus
Plasmodium, which are transmitted by the bite of (female)
mosquitoes in genus Anopheles.
•
A. maculipennis was
widespread, and was believed to be the culprit But the puzzle
A. maculipennis was widespread Why were malaria outbreaks so localized Work by two systematists (Hackett in 1937 and Bates in 1940)
revealed that "A. maculipennis" was actually several
sibling species, each of
which had a distinct ecology, diurnal periodicity and habitat. (What level of taxonomy Armed with this information, authorities in charge of eradication were able to specifically target the responsible species (correct habitat and time of activity) and wipe out the problem.
22
Practical Application of Taxonomy 
