Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #318161
Title: DNA barcoding of the vegetable leafminer Liriomyza sativae Blanchard (Diptera: Agromyzidae) in Bangladesh

Author
item AMIN, S. - Bangladesh Agricultural University
item Scheffer, Sonja
item Lewis, Matthew
item PASHA, M. - Bangladesh Agricultural University
item BHUIYA, B. - Bangladesh Agricultural University

Submitted to: DNA Barcodes
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/14/2014
Publication Date: 1/1/2015
Citation: Amin, S., Scheffer, S.J., Lewis, M.L., Pasha, M.K., Bhuiya, B.A. 2015. DNA barcoding of the vegetable leafminer Liriomyza sativae Blanchard (Diptera: Agromyzidae) in Bangladesh. DNA Barcodes. 2:29-33.

Interpretive Summary: Many leafmining flies are globally invasive and cause millions of dollars of damage in native as well as invaded ranges. During the past decade, a leafminer attacking numerous vegetable crops has moved into Bangladesh, causing serious crop damage. Using a molecular DNA barcoding approach, in combination with morphological identification, this research determined that the damaging leafminer was Liriomyza sative, a notorious polyphagous pest of vegetable crops. This research represents the first molecular confirmation of L. sativae in Bangladesh and provides information critical for effective control in this and other nearby countries.

Technical Abstract: DNA barcoding revealed the presence of the polyphagous leafminer pest Liriomyza sativae Blanchard in Bangladesh. DNA barcode sequences for mitochondrial COI were generated for Agromyzidae larvae, pupae and adults collected from field populations across Bangladesh. BLAST sequence similarity searches of GenBank showed 99-100% sequence similarity with populations of L. sativae Blanchard and 97% sequence similarity with L. trifolii (Burgess). Neighbor-joining distance analysis was used to investigate patterns of clustering of the Bangladeshi sequences with other pest species of Liriomyza. Sequences for the Bangladeshi specimens clustered unambiguously with L. sativae sequences from GenBank. This represents the first molecular confirmation of L. sativae in Bangladesh, and we conclude that this destructive leafminer is continuing its geographic expansion within Asia.