Genetic variation in the predacious mite, Amblyseius swirskii ( Acari: Phytoseiidae): Analysis of specific mitochondrial and nuclear sequences.

Abstract

Patterns of polymorphism of two DNA fragments with contrasted modes of evolution, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA), were used to study population structure and taxonomy of the predacious mite, Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot. A fragment in the mitochondrial gene coding for cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and the region of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of rDNA were amplified, from the total genomic DNA, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR-amplified products were purified and sequenced. The results indicated that sequence analysis combined with morphological characters can be used for identification of various species of phytoseiid mites and the biotypes of the same species