Molecular identification and phylogeny of parasitic wasp species (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) by mitochondrial DNA RFLP and RAPD markers.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) were tested for their ability to discriminate between seven species of minute parasitic wasps belonging to the genus Trichogramma. They proved to be reliable species-diagnostic molecular markers. Pairwise comparisons of the mtDNA restriction maps revealed considerable differentiation among the seven species. Percentage of common restriction sites ranged from 30% to 83%. Phylogenetic analyses performed either on the mtDNA nucleotide distance matrix or on the matrix of the restriction site-state generated a tree congruent with those based on allozymes and morphology. RAPD procedures also revealed species-specific banding patterns and seem promising for a rapid and easy identification of Trichogramma species. Moreover, for some Trichogramma species, RAPD banding patterns might be informative of the phylogenetic relatedness.