Cs. Babcock et Jm. Heraty, Molecular markers distinguishing Encarsia formosa and Encarsia luteola (Hymenoptera : Aphelinidae), ANN ENT S A, 93(4), 2000, pp. 738-744
Reciprocal molecular markers were developed to distinguish the closely rela
ted parasitoid species Encarsia formosa Gahan and E. luteola Howard. E, for
mosa is widely used in the biological control of whiteflies and yet, based
upon morphology, it is extremely difficult to distinguish from E. luteola.
The D2 expansion region of 28S rDNA was sequenced from seven strains of E.
formosa and two strains of E. luteola to assess the amount of genetic varia
tion within and between species at this locus. From parsimony analysis we a
nd that populations of E. formosa and E. luteola each form a monophyletic c
lade and are probably each other's most closely related sister taxon. Based
upon the sequence variation between species, we present a simple molecular
assay to rapidly and unambiguously distinguish E. formosa and E. luteola.