Evidence for gene flow between two sympatric mealybug species (Insecta; Coccoidea; Pseudococcidae).

ABSTRACT: Occurrence of inter-species hybrids in natural populations might be evidence of gene flow between species. In the present study we found evidence of gene flow between two sympatric, genetically related scale insect species--the citrus mealybug Planococcus citri (Risso) and the vine mealybug Planococcus ficus (Signoret). These species can be distinguished by morphological, behavioral, and molecular traits. We employed the sex pheromones of the two respective species to study their different patterns of male attraction. We also used nuclear ITS2 (internal transcribed spacer 2) and mitochondrial COI (Cytochrome c oxidase sub unit 1) DNA sequences to characterize populations of the two species, in order to demonstrate the outcome of a possible gene flow between feral populations of the two spe

SUBMITTER: Kol-Maimon H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3921159 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature