A barcode database for insects associated with the spread of the Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease in Cote d'Ivoire.

ABSTRACT: Swollen Shoot is a viral disease affecting cocoa trees, transmitted by several species of mealybugs (Insecta, Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha, Pseudococcidae). These insects maintain trophobiotic relationships with a complex and species-rich assemblage of ants protecting them and natural enemies controlling their populations. Here, we provide a curated DNA barcode database to characterise this insect community. Systematic observation of 7,500 cocoa trees was conducted, coupled with the collection of mealybug colonies and associated insect communities (parasitoids, predators and ants). Natural enemies were reared from mealybug colonies collected from 1,430 cocoa trees. Specimens were identified morphologically and sequenced for fragments of the standard DNA barcode region of the COI. We recovered

SUBMITTER: Koffi ADK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11929007 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature