Population genetics of ectoparasitic mites <i>Varroa</i> spp. in Eastern and Western honey bees.

ABSTRACT: Host shifts of parasites are often causing devastating effects in the new hosts. The Varroa genus is known for a lineage of Varroa destructor that shifted to the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera, with disastrous effects on wild populations and the beekeeping industry. Despite this, the biology of Varroa spp. remains poorly understood in its native distribution range, where it naturally parasitizes the Eastern honey bee, Apis cerana. Here, we combined mitochondrial and nuclear DNA analyses with the assessment of mite reproduction to determine the population structure and host specificity of V. destructor and Varroa jacobsonii in Thailand, where both hosts and several Varroa species and haplotypes are sympatric. Our data confirm previously described mite haplogroups, and show three novel ha

SUBMITTER: Dietemann V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6712951 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature