Abstract
Abstract. Neoleucinodes elegantalis (Guenee) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is an oligophagous pest in the Western Hemisphere and found on cultivated and wild Solanaceae species. In Colombia, the insect has diverged into four host races according to variation in female genitalia size, wing morphometrics, and haplotype. Adult insects were collected on Solanaceae species from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, and Venezuela. Sequencing of 586 bp of the mitochondrial gene Cytochrome Oxidase 1 (CO1) in 276 individuals produced 50 haplotypes. AMOVA confirmed population structuring (FST = 0.73, P < 0.0001). UPGMA dendrogram for FST paired distances indicated the Andes Mountains influenced the genetic differentiation of the pest as previously reported in Colombia. The pest might have passed through political and geographical borders by free commercialization of Solanaceae fruit from Ecuador (S. quitoense) and Honduras (S. melongena) because much genetic similarity was found between races from both countri...
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