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Sibling species facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Sibling species are species which look alike, but cannot breed with each other.

The classic case is Drosophila pseudoobscura and D. persimilis. They are almost identical, but if flies from one species are put with flies from the other species, they do not interbreed. Another example was the European mosquito known as Anopheles maculipennis. This turned out to be a cluster of six different species, some of which transmit malaria, and some do not.

Images for kids

  • A mosquito sitting on the tip of a finger

    The Anopheles gambiae mosquito complex contains both species that are a vector for malaria and species that are not.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Especies gemelas para niños

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