Examination of population genetics of the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle () and the incidence of its biocontrol agent (Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus) in the South Pacific Islands.

Recently, incursions of the Coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB), , have been detected in south Pacific countries that were previously free of the pest. It has been suggested that this range expansion is related to an haplotype that is reported to show reduced susceptibility to the well-established classical biocontrol agent, Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus (OrNV). We investigated population genetics and the OrNV status of specimens collected in Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu and the Philippines. Based on the sequence of the mitochondrial gene, we found three major mitochondrial haplotype groups (CRB-G, CRB-PNG and CRB-S) across the region. Haplotype diversity varied between and within countries and a high incidence of OrNV infection was detected in all haplotypes wherever they occurred. The population in some countries was monotypic and all individuals tested belonged to a single haplotype group. However, in Samoa we detected CRB-S and CRB-PNG and in Solomon Islands we detected all three haplotype groups. Genotyping-by-Sequencing (GBS) showed genetic differentiation in the nuclear genome across populations on different islands and provided evidence for gene flow, resulting in a well-mixed population, despite the presence of different haplotypes in Solomon Islands. Evidence of admixture was also detected on both islands of Samoa. The current based method is not a reliable diagnostic marker for phenotypic traits, especially in countries such as Solomon Islands where the mitochondrial haplotypes have come back into sympatry and are mixed. To identify possible mechanisms of resistance to OrNV, further molecular analyses in response to virus infection is required. To improve biological control of , such analyses will need to be combined with an improved understanding of the population genetics of the pest and the evolutionary history of OrNV in the region.