Evolutionary Applications (2021) 14, 915-930

Zhenyong Du, Yunfei Wu, Zhuo Chen, Liangming Cao, Tadashi Ishikawa, Satoshi Kamitani, Teiji Sota, Fan Song, Li Tian, Wanzhi Cai and Hu Li (2021)
Global phylogeography and invasion history of the spotted lanternfly revealed by mitochondrial phylogenomics
Evolutionary Applications 14 (4), 915-930
Abstract: Biological invasion has been a serious global threat due to increasing international trade and population movements. Tracking the source and route of invasive species and evaluating the genetic differences in their native regions have great significance for the effective monitoring and management, and further resolving the invasive mechanism. The spotted lanternfly Lycorma delicatula is native to China and invaded South Korea, Japan, and the United States during the last decade, causing severe damages to the fruits and timber industries. However, its global phylogeographic pattern and invasion history are not clearly understood. We applied high-throughput sequencing to obtain 392 whole mitochondrial genome sequences from four countries to ascertain the origin, dispersal, and invasion history of the spotted lanternfly. Phylogenomic analyses revealed that the spotted lanternfly originated from southwestern China, diverged into six phylogeographic lineages, and experienced northward expansion across the Yangtze River in the late Pleistocene. South Korea populations were derived from multiple invasions from eastern China and Japan with two different genetic sources of northwestern (Loess Plateau) and eastern (East Plain) lineages in China, whereas the each of Japan and the United States had only one. The United States populations originated through single invasive event from South Korea, which served as a bridgehead of invasion. The environmental conditions, especially the distribution of host Ailanthus trees, and adaptability possibly account for the rapid spread of the spotted lanternfly in the native and introduced regions.
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Database assignments for author(s): Wanzhi Cai

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
molecular biology - genes
population dynamics/ epidemiology

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Lycorma delicatula		China (south)
	Lycorma delicatula		Japan
	Lycorma delicatula		Korea-South
	Lycorma delicatula		U.S.A. (NE)
	Lycorma delicatula		China (NE)