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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Southern Insect Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #224672
Title: The Phylogenetic Relationships of Introduced Aphelinus (Hymenoptera: aphelinidae), Biological Control Agents of the Russian Wheat Aphid (Homoptera: aphididae)

Author
item Zhu, Yu Cheng
item FANG, QUENTIN - GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIV.

Submitted to: Insect Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/7/2008
Publication Date: 6/8/2009
Citation: Zhu, Y., Fang, Q.Q. 2009. The Phylogenetic Relationships of Introduced Aphelinus (Hymenoptera: aphelinidae), Biological Control Agents of the Russian Wheat Aphid (Homoptera: aphididae). Insect Science. 16:277-286

Interpretive Summary: A parasitoid was introduced for Russian wheat aphis control. Previous study indicated that reproductive incompatibility (i.e. rejection of incompatible males or failure to recognize incompatible males by females) existed between laboratory cultures of the parasitoid. This study was initiated to understand why there was reproductive incompatibility through examination of DNA sequence and analysis of molecular phylogenetic relationship. Our results indicated that the reproductive incompatibility between three exotic strains of the parasitoid was more likely caused by divergence of phylogeny.

Technical Abstract: Several species of Aphelinus have been introduced to the United States from the Old World for biological control of the Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Modvilko). Reproductive incompatibility has been observed among populations collected from different geographic areas. We examined whether or not the reproductive incompatibility between strains of A. asychis was caused by distant phylogenetic relationships. Ribosomal DNA sequences of internal transcribed spacers 2 (ITS2) were analyzed in several species of Aphelinus collected from multiple sites of Europe and Asia. The phylogenetic analysis showed that strains within the species A. albipodus and A. asychis are not monophyletic, and two clearly divergent clades were revealed among sequenced samples. Our results suggest that the reproductive incompatibility between three exotic strains of A. asychis was more likely caused by divergence of phylogeny than by symbiotic bacteria.