Abstract
Aphid species Aphis pomi (de Geer, 1773) is oligophagous on pomoideous host plants, whilst Aphis spiraecola Patch, 1914 is a polyphagous species alternating between Spiraea spp., its primary host, and a wide variety of secondary hosts, also including pomoideous species. Despite the biological distinction, these species are difficult to separate using their morphological characters. Partial sequences of mitochondrial COI and nuclear EF-1α genes were analyzed for samples from Central and Eastern Europe, Germany, Bulgaria, Italy, Turkey, China together with available data from GenBank. Interspecific pairwise sample divergences of the COI fragment ranged from 3.1 to 4.3%. One COI haplotype of A. pomi was predominant (n = 24), with a pan European distribution. The most abundant COI haplotype of A. spiraecola (n = 16) occurred in Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Italy, Turkey and China. Interspecific pairwise sample divergences of the EF-1α fragment ranged from 0.6 to 1.2%. Analyzed partial sequences of EF-1α were identical in A. pomi. The most abundant EF-1α haplotype of A. spiraecola (n = 14) occurred in Lithuania, Poland, Italy, Turkey and China. The length of ultimate rostral segment appeared to be the most reliable morphological character for discrimination between apple and spirea aphid species. It allowed a 100% correct identification of A. pomi (n = 143) and 91.5% of A. spiraecola (n = 94) specimens in the European samples used for the molecular analysis. The existence of A. spiraecola in the Eastern Baltic region of Europe is documented for the first time.
Highlights
Aphis pomi and Aphis spiraecola Patch, 1914 are reported to be serious pests of horticulture all over the World (Blackman & Eastop, 2000; Holman, 2009)
The aim of this study is to identify the available European samples of the A. pomi-spiraecola species complex using partial sequences of mitochondrial COI and nuclear EF-1α genes and test the reliability of the morphological characters used to discriminate between these two species (Blackman & Eastop, 2000; Foottit et al, 2009)
After the construction of networks based on statistical parsimony (Fig. 1) 31 partial COI sequences of A. pomi and 30 sequences of A. spiraecola were collapsed into seven haplotypes each
Summary
Aphis pomi (de Geer, 1773) (apple aphid) and Aphis spiraecola Patch, 1914 (spirea aphid) are reported to be serious pests of horticulture all over the World (Blackman & Eastop, 2000; Holman, 2009). Their distribution, morphology, life cycles and host specificity have been subjected to intensive study, together with their potential harmfulness and plant protection measures (Grasswitz & Burts, 1995; Tsai & Wang, 2001; Brown et al, 2008; Stoeckli et al, 2008; Frechette et al, 2008; Brown, 2011; Wieczorek et al, 2011; Cao et al, 2012). A resolution of this discrimination problem was proposed using molecular taxonomy (Lushai et al, 2004; Foottit et al, 2009; Naaum et al, 2012)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
