ARS | Publication request: MITOCHONDRIAL DNA VARIATION OF NORTH AMERICAN POPULATIONS OF APHTHONA CYPARISSIAE (COLEOPTERA: CHRYSOMELIDAE), A FLEA BEETLE IMPORTED FOR BIOCONTROL OF LEAFY SPURGE

Submitted to: Genbank
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: February 14, 2006
Publication Date: March 6, 2006
Citation: Roehrdanz, R.L. 2006. Mitochondrial DNA variation of North American populations of Aphthona cyparissiae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a flea beetle imported for biocontrol of leafy spurge. Genbank. Accession numbers: DQ386423-DQ386434.

Technical Abstract: Several flea beetle species from the genus Aphthona (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) have been introduced into North America as biological control agents for the rangeland weed, leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.). Aphthona cyparissiae is one of three brownish colored species that were released at many locations beginning in 1988. Although it still appears to be widely dispersed, at many sites in North Dakota and Minnesota it has been vastly out competed by another brown species, Aphthona nigriscutis. Sites in Alberta, Canada maintain higher populations of A. cyparissiae. The morphological distinction of the brown species is difficult and many recent redistributions of the beetles for biological control have not kept track of the number of A. cyparissiae in populations that are predominantly A. nigriscutis. Portions of the mitochondrial genome were used order to measure the genetic diversity of the established North American populations. PCR-RFLP of a large segment of mtDNA (~8000 base pairs) and nucleotide sequencing of a smaller segment of the mitochondrial cox1-cox2 region (617 base pairs, GenBank Accession numbers DQ386423-DQ386434) were both examined. Different mtDNA haplotypes were determined via the PCR-RFLP. The small mtDNA segments was cloned and sequenced from an example of each haplotype. Not all of the long PCR-RFLP haplotypes exhibited polymorphism for the short sequence. The sequences provide effective molecular identification of the species. GenBank Accessions: DQ386423-DQ386434 Aphthona cyparissiae - mitochondrial cox1-tRNALeu-cox2 DQ386423 AC3098 RIVERVIEW, MN HAPLOTYPE C14 DQ386424 AC3182 ALBERTA, CANADA site4 HAPLOTYPE C2 DQ386425 AC3182#2 ALBERTA, site4 HAPLOTYPE C2 DQ386426 AC3249 ALBERTA, site 3 HAPLOTYPE C15 DQ386427 AC3264 ALBERTA, site 3 HAPLOTYPE ? DQ386428 AC3336 ALBERTA, site 1 HAPLOTYPE C4 DQ386429 AC3338 ALBERTA, site 1 HAPLOTYPE C1 DQ386430 AC3348 ALBERTA, site 1 HAPLOTYPE C5 DQ386431 AC3349 ALBERTA, site 1 HAPLOTYPE C10 DQ386432 AC3386 ALBERTA, site 3 HAPLOTYPE C12 DQ386433 AC3387 ALBERTA, site 3 HAPLOTYPE C13 DQ386434 AC3390 ALBERTA, site 3 HAPLOTYPE C7