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Title: DNA markers to disentangle complexes of cryptic taxa in mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)

Author
item MALAUSA, THIBAUT - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
item FENIS, AURORE - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
item WAROT, SYLVIE - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
item GERMAIN, JEAN-FRANÇOIS - Government Of France
item RIS, NICOLAS - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
item PRADO, ERNESTO - Embrapa
item BOTTON, MARCOS - Embrapa
item VANLERBERGHE-MASUTTI, FLAVIE - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
item SFORZA, RENE - European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL)
item CRUAUD, CORINNE - Genoscope
item COULOUX, ARNAUD - Genoscope
item KREITER, PHILIPPE - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA)

Submitted to: Journal of Applied Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/30/2009
Publication Date: 2/18/2011
Citation: Malausa, T., Fenis, A., Warot, S., Germain, J., Ris, N., Prado, E., Botton, M., Vanlerberghe-Masutti, F., Sforza, R., Cruaud, C., Couloux, A., Kreiter, P. 2011. DNA markers to disentangle complexes of cryptic taxa in mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). Journal of Applied Entomology. 135: 142-155.

Interpretive Summary: Mealybugs are homopterans (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Pseudococcidae), named for the powdery secretions covering their bodies, with the most important vineyard mealybugs belonging to the subfamily PseudococcinaeEconomic losses resulting from mealybug infestations in all crops have dramatically increased this past decade. In response, there has been a cosmopolitan effort to improve control strategies and better understand mealybug biology and ecology, and how genetically identifying complexes of one of the major taxa in scale insctes, the Pseudococcidae. their role as vectors of plant pathogens. We surveyed and tested the genetic markers used in previous studies and then identified new markers for particularly relevant genomic regions for which no satisfactory markers were available. We then assessed the utility of these genetic markers for the characterization and identification of 239 samples from 43 sites in France and Brazil. The five markers studied successfully distinguished all species identified by morphological examination.

Technical Abstract: Mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) are major pests of a wide range of crops and ornamental plants worldwide. Their high degree of morphological similarity makes them difficult to identify and limits their study and management. We aimed to identify a set of markers for the genetic characterization and identification of complexes of taxa in the Pseudococcidae. We surveyed and tested the genetic markers used in previous studies and then identified new markers for particularly relevant genomic regions for which no satisfactory markers were available. We tested all markers on a subset of four taxa distributed worldwide. Five markers were retained after this first screening: two regions of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene, 28S-D2, the entire internal transcriber space 2 locus and the rpS15-16S region of the primary mealybug endosymbiont Tremblaya princeps. We then assessed the utility of these markers for the characterization and identification of 239 samples from 43 sites in France and Brazil. The five markers studied (i) successfully distinguished all species identified by morphological examination, (ii) disentangled complexes of species by revealing intra-specific genetic variation and identified a set of closely related taxa for which taxonomic status requires clarification through further studies, and (iii) facilitated the inference of phylogenetic relationships between the characterized taxa.