DNA barcoding of black cherry aphid Myzus cerasi (Fabricus, 1775) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) populations collected from Prunus avium and Prunus cerasus

Abstract

Sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene of one Greek and 25 Turkish Myzus cerasi (Fabricus)(Hemiptera: Aphididae) populations collected from Prunus avium and Prunus cerasus were analyzed. The partial coding region of COIstudied is 605 bp for all the populations, from which 565 nucleotides were conserved, 40 were variable, 37 were singleton, and 3 wereparsimony-informative. Four haplotypes were identified based on nucleotide substitutions and the mean of intraspecific divergencewas calculated to be 0.3%. Phylogenetic trees were constructed using maximum likelihood, neighbor joining, and minimum evolution.Myzus persicae (Sulzer) and Myzus borealis Ossiannilson were included as outgroups. The population of M. cerasi from Isparta divergedfrom the rest of the groups and formed a clade (Haplotype B) with Myzus borealis. The rest of the haplotype diversity included HaplotypeA and Haplotype C with individuals characterized as Myzus cerasi pruniavium and Haplotype D with Myzus cerasi cerasi. M. cerasidiverged into two subspecies and it must be reevaluated whether this pest is monophagous or oligophagous in terms of plant typedependence. Further studies will be required for a complete barcoding and host-specific status of black cherry aphid.