@article {152146, title = {Mitochondrial genetic diversity of pest and vector species, Frankliniella schultzei (Thripidae: Thripinae).}, journal = {Mol Biol Rep}, volume = {52}, year = {2024}, month = {2024 Dec 17}, pages = {55}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Frankliniella schultzei (Trybom) is a serious pest and a carrier of tospoviruses in major agricultural crops. This species is a historical and unresolved species complex that contains genetically different cryptic species across the globe.

METHODS AND RESULTS: DNA barcodes were generated from freshly collected specimens of F. schultzei from India and Australia using the sanger sequencing. Seventy-five COI sequences were generated from India and Australia. Moreover, 318 sequences were downloaded (India, Australia, Pakistan, and Africa) from the NCBI GenBank to explore the genetic diversity and phylogeny. The minimum and maximum mean interspecific distance between 393 sequences was found to be 7.97\% and 21.50\%, respectively. Bayesian and Neighbour joining clustering indicated the presence of five putative species within F. schultzei that had sympatry and allopatry. Moreover, 20 haplotypes and 140 polymorphic sites were identified. The African clade is unique; it does not share haplotypes with any other countries, suggesting it may represent the true F. schultzei. Haplotype network analysis showed shallow gene flow and deep genetic variation between the populations. Signatures of recent population history events were measured using Fu{\textquoteright}s Fs test and Tajima{\textquoteright}s D test. Morphometric analysis based on seven characters is also carried out.

CONCLUSION: Phylogeny and genetic distance revealed the presence of five putative species within F. schultzei. On the contrary, morphology does not unequivocally corroborate the phylogenetic results, as morphometric analysis showed overlap among these clades. To resolve F. schultzei species complex, whole genome-based sequencing data are very much necessitated.

}, keywords = {Animals, Australia, Bayes Theorem, DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic, DNA, Mitochondrial, Gene Flow, Genetic Variation, Haplotypes, India, Insect Vectors, Mitochondria, Phylogeny, Thysanoptera}, issn = {1573-4978}, doi = {10.1007/s11033-024-10108-4}, author = {Singha, Devkant and Patidar, Abhishek and Pal, Shash and Tyagi, Kaomud and Kumar, Vikas} } @article {893, title = {Cryptic diversity and habitat partitioning in an economically important aphid species complex.}, journal = {Infect Genet Evol}, volume = {30}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Mar}, pages = {230-7}, abstract = {

Cardamom Bushy Dwarf Virus (CBDV) is an aphid-borne nanovirus which infects large cardamom, Amomum subulatum (Zingiberaceae family), in the Himalayan foothills of Northeast India, Nepal and Bhutan. Two aphid species have been reported to transmit CBDV, including Pentalonia nigronervosa and Micromyzus kalimpongensis (also described as Pentalonia kalimpongensis). However, P. nigronervosa was recently split into two species which exhibit different host plant affiliations. Whilst P. nigronervosa primarily feeds on banana plants, Pentaloniacaladii (previously considered a {\textquoteright}form{\textquoteright} of P. nigronervosa) typically feeds on plants belonging to the Araceae, Heliconiaceae and Zingiberaceae families. This raises the possibility that CBDV vectors that were originally described as P. nigronervosa correspond to P. caladii. Accurate identification of vector species is important for understanding disease dynamics and for implementing management strategies. However, closely related species can be difficult to distinguish based on morphological characteristics. In this study, we used molecular markers (two mitochondrial loci and one nuclear locus) and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses to identify aphid specimens collected from 148 CBDV infected plants at a range of locations and elevations throughout Sikkim and the Darjeeling district of West Bengal (Northeast India). Our results revealed the presence of a diversity of lineages, comprising up to six distinct species in at least two related genera. These included the three species mentioned above, an unidentified Pentalonia species and two lineages belonging to an unknown genus. Surprisingly, P. caladii was only detected on a single infected plant, indicating that this species may not play an important role in CBDV transmission dynamics. Distinct elevation distributions were observed for the different species, demonstrating that the community composition of aphids which feed on large cardamom plants changes across an elevation gradient. This has implications for understanding how competent vector species could influence spatial and temporal transmission patterns of CBDV.

}, keywords = {Animals, Aphids, Babuvirus, Ecosystem, Elettaria, India, Insect Vectors, Musa, Phylogeny, Plant Diseases}, issn = {1567-7257}, doi = {10.1016/j.meegid.2014.12.020}, author = {Savory, F R and Ramakrishnan, U} }