Annals of the Entomological Society of America (2002) 95, 753-760
James W. Austin, Allen L. Szalanski, Paolo Uva, Anne-Genevieve Bagnères and Aykut Kence (2002)
A comparative genetic analysis of the subterranean termite genus Reticulitermes (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)
Annals of the Entomological Society of America 95 (6), 753-760
Abstract: DNA sequencing analysis of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase II (COII) region was used to examine genetic variation in the termite genus Reticulitermes Holmgren. We examined 21 species and subspecies from three continents. Sequencing of a 677-bp region of a 780-bp amplicon from 41 individuals and from 17 sequences obtained from GenBank revealed 221 polymorphic sites within the genus. Tajima-Nei distances from species ranged from 0.9 to 12.7%, and parsimony and maximum likelihood analysis revealed several clades within the genus. Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) formed a distinct clade along with R. santonensis De Feytaud. European R. lucifugus (Rossi) formed a distinct clade with R. banyulensis (Béziers). Turkish R. lucifugus was distinct relative to European R. lucifugus, and along with R. clypeatus Lash from Israel formed a sister group with R. balkanensis Clément from Greece. This study provides support for the separation of Turkish R. lucifugus from European members of the species. This mitochondrial DNA marker was also able to identify several Reticulitermes specimens from Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, and South Korea to R. flavipes, R. hageni Banks, R. virginicus (Banks), and R. speratus Shimizu.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
(original language: English)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Allen L. Szalanski, James W. Austin, Anne-Geneviève Bagnères
Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
identification/taxonomy
