biostudies-literatureUnknown7(3)Zhou C<h4>Background</h4>The western tarnished plant bug Lygus hesperus is an economically important pest that belongs to a complex of morphologically similar species that makes identification problematic. The present study provides evidence for the use of DNA barcodes from populations of L. hesperus from the western United States of America for accurate identification.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>This study reports DNA barcodes for 134 individuals of the western tarnished plant bug from alfalfa and strawberry agricultural fields in the western United States of America. Sequence divergence estimates of <3% reveal that morphologically variable individuals presumed to be L. hesperus were accurately identified. Paired estimates of F(st) and subsequent estimates of gene flow show that geogPloS onee34528https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC3316671biostudies-literatureIdentification of Lygus hesperus by DNA barcoding reveals insignificant levels of genetic structure among distant and habitat diverse populations.PMC3316671Zalom FGLavine LCWalsh DBZhou CKandemir IfalseIdentification of Lygus hesperus by DNA barcoding reveals insignificant levels of genetic structure among distant and habitat diverse populations.<h4>Background</h4>The western tarnished plant bug Lygus hesperus is an economically important pest that belongs to a complex of morphologically similar species that makes identification problematic. The present study provides evidence for the use of DNA barcodes from populations of L. hesperus from the western United States of America for accurate identification.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>This study reports DNA barcodes for 134 individuals of the western tarnished plant bug from alfalfa and strawberry agricultural fields in the western United States of America. Sequence divergence estimates of <3% reveal that morphologically variable individuals presumed to be L. hesperus were accurately identified. Paired estimates of F(st) and subsequent estimates of gene flow show that geog2012-01-01T00:00:00Z20122026-05-04T09:29:07.378Z2026-04-07T20:19:35.944ZS-EPMC33166712247964010.1371/journal.pone.0034528