Phylogeny of the Pseudococcidae based on COⅠ gene sequence variation
Author of the article:LI Yan WANG Xu-Bo WU San-An
Author's Workplace:College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; College of Biodiversity Conservation, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China
Key Words:COⅠ; HCO-LCO region; region 2; Pseudococcidae
Abstract:
[Objectives] To identify COⅠ sequence regions useful for resolving the taxonomy of
the Pseudococcidae (mealybugs) and
thereby improve
understanding of the phylogenetic relationships within this family. Mealybugs
are Hemipteran insects that feed on plant sap, and most are agricultural and
forestry pests. The COⅠ gene is commonly used
in molecular phylogeny and is often divided into two regions according to
different primers; the HCO-LCO region and region 2. [Methods] Sequence information on both the HCO-LCO region
and region 2 from 48 Mealybugs was downloaded from the GenBank database. The
genetic distance, barcode gap and BCM were calculated and a phylogenetic
tree constructed using the ML method. [Results] The rate of accurate species identification
using the HCO-LCO region was higher than that using region 2. Genetic distances
estimated based on HCO-LCO region variation increased with taxonomic level but
those based on region 2 ranked the maximum genetic distance between species as
greater than that between genera. A phylogenetic tree based on HCO-LCO region
variation was more consistent with the morphological classification than one
based on region 2. [Conclusion] The HCO-LCO region was more useful than region 2 for species identification,
and better reflects the developmental and evolutionary relationships among the
Pseudococcidae than region 2.