Species Diversity of Puerto Rican Heterotermes (Dictyoptera: Rhinotermitidae) Revealed by Phylogenetic Analyses of Two Mitochondrial Genes.

ABSTRACT: The goal of this study was to infer Heterotermes (Froggatt) (Dictyoptera: Rhinotermitidae) species diversity on the island of Puerto Rico from phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data from two mitochondrial genes, 16S rRNA and cytochrome oxidase II (COII). This termite genus is a structural pest known to be well adapted to arid environments in subtropical and tropical regions worldwide including Puerto Rico and many other Caribbean islands. Extensive sampling was accomplished across Puerto Rico, and phylogenetic analyses of individual gene sequences from these samples indicated robust datasets of congruent gene tree topologies showing three monophyletic groups: H. cardini (Snyder), H. convexinotatus (Snyder), and H. tenuis (Hagen). We found that H. cardini and H. convexinotatus were wide

SUBMITTER: Eaton TD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5424536 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature