Journal of Entomological Science (2013) 48, 222-233

Abdul Hafiz Ab Majid, Shripat T. Kamble and Nicholas J. Miller (2013)
Colony genetic structure of Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) from natural populations in Nebraska
Journal of Entomological Science 48 (3), 222-233
Abstract: Genetic markers are a powerful tool to investigate the breeding structure and population genetics of subterranean termites. In this study, 10 - 20 subterranean termite workers, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) were collected from colonies at 8 sites, separated by at least 200 m. Ten workers from each site were genotyped at 7 microsatellite loci. The data revealed that all 7 microsatellites were polymorphic with up to 6 alleles per locus. The frequency of most the common allele ranged from 0.11 - 0.60. Observed patterns of genetic variation within colonies revealed that most were the result of fusions of multiple colonies. Few colonies exhibited genetic variation consistent with a simple family headed by a single pair of reproductives. The analyses of F-statistics and relatedness coefficients indicated that the colonies were often inbred, suggesting they contained neotenic reproductives.
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Link to article at publishers website

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

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Reticulitermes flavipes		U.S.A. (mid N)