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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Insect Genetics and Biochemistry Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #112838
Title: MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMATICS OF SUNFLOWER INSECT PESTS

Author
item Roehrdanz, Richard

Submitted to: Great Plains Sunflower Insect Workshop Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/30/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Restriction fragment analysis of PCR amplified segments of mitochondrial DNA has been used to examine the genetic relationship of two groups of sunflower pests, moths and weevils. Approximately 100-150 restriction fragments were surveyed for each of three moth species, Homeosoma electellum (sunflower moth), Cochylis hospes (banded moth), and C. arthuri. .Genetic distance between the two congeneric species was about 3.6% and those two differed from the sunflower moth by about 6.5%. About 55-70 restriction fragments were compared in three weevil species, Smicronyx fulvus (red seed weevil), S. sordidus (gray seed weevil), and Cylindrocopturus adspersus (sunflower stem weevil). The two seed weevils are very closely related with a genetic distance of only 2.5%. This value is sometimes exceeded by geographically diverse collections of a single species. The genetic distance between the seed weevil pair and the stem weevil is 12.8%. Some of the restriction fragments observed could be used as species diagnostic markers to identify immature insects.