Genetic variability and structure of populations of Homoeosoma nebulella (Denis et Schiffermüller) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in northern China

Abstract

In recent years, there have been significant outbreaks of the European sunflower moth (ESM) Homoeosoma nebulella in northern China, causing enormous agricultural losses to local farmers. Although some control measures have been investigated, there is limited knowledge about genetic structure among ESM populations which may be related to pest outbreak. In this study, we analyzed the genetic variation and genetic structure of ESM. Our results showed that genetic differentiation was low among populations (2.73%), while it was high within individuals (60.73%), and among individuals within populations (32.59%). Dendograms based on Fst and genetic distance revealed that populations from Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region were first clustered and subsequently grouped with populations from Heilongjiang province. The outbreaks of ESM in Inner Mongolia may be caused by dispersal of ESM from Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.