Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
J Econ Entomol. 2010 Jun;103(3):877-86. doi: 10.1603/ec09300.
Over the past three decades, Western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), has become a major worldwide pest of many agricultural and horticultural crops. In response, much time, money, and effort have been put into pure and applied research focusing on the biology and control of this pest. Western flower thrips is native to Western North America and widespread in California. High levels of variation in basic biology, pest status, and resistance to insecticides bring into question the specific status of Western flower thrips. We used nuclear-mitochondrial barcoding to compare DNA sequences of nuclear and mitochondrial genes between Western flower thrips populations across California, looking for association between these unlinked loci. Sequences of D2 domain of 28S and cytochrome c oxidase I gene revealed the existence of two distinct but sympatric genetic entities, and we describe a simple polymerase chain reaction-based method for diagnosing these entities. The complete association of these nuclear and mitochondrial loci in areas of sympatry is indicative of reproductive isolation and the existence of two cryptic species, both of which key out to Western flower thrips by using morphological characters. The finding that Western flower thrips is a complex of two species has important implications for past, current, and most importantly future research on these pests.
在过去的三十年中，西方花蓟马（Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande)）（缨翅目：蓟马科）已成为许多农业和园艺作物的世界性主要害虫。作为回应，人们投入了大量的时间、金钱和精力用于该害虫的生物学和防治的纯研究和应用研究。西方花蓟马原产于北美西部，在加利福尼亚州广泛分布。基本生物学、害虫状态和对杀虫剂的抗性存在高度变异，这使得西方花蓟马的具体地位受到质疑。我们使用核-线粒体条形码技术比较了加利福尼亚州各地西方花蓟马种群的核和线粒体基因的 DNA 序列，寻找这些非连锁基因座之间的关联。28S 的 D2 结构域和细胞色素 c 氧化酶 I 基因的序列揭示了两个不同但同域存在的遗传实体的存在，我们描述了一种简单的基于聚合酶链反应的方法来诊断这些实体。在同域地区这些核和线粒体基因座的完全关联表明存在生殖隔离和两个隐种的存在，这两种隐种都可以通过形态特征鉴定为西方花蓟马。发现西方花蓟马是两个种的复合体，这对过去、现在，特别是未来对这些害虫的研究具有重要意义。
