Fourth International Bemisia Workshop International Whitefly Genomics Workshop
Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial COI DNA sequence from global samples of Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)
1 USDA US Horticultural Research Laboratory, Ft. Pierce, FL, USA. Correspondence: lboykin@ushrl.ars.usda.gov
2 Biology Department, University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX, USA
3 CSIRO Entomology, Indooroopilly, Australia
Bemisia tabaci (Gen.)(Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is one of the most devastating agricultural pests worldwide and affects the yield of a broad range of agricultural, fiber, vegetable and ornamental crops. Global phylogenetic relationships of the major races of B. tabaci remain unresolved thus a Bayesian phylogenetic technique was utilized to elucidate relationships. All COI DNA sequence data available in Genbank for B. tabaci world-wide (367 specimens) were obtained and the first well resolved phylogeny for the B. tabaci species complex was produced. Nine major well resolved (0.70 posterior probability or above) races were recovered and are: B. tabaci (Mediterranean/Asia/Africa-B Biotype), B. tabaci (Mediterranean-Q Biotype), B. tabaci (MS Biotype), B. tabaci (Q-related Africa), B. tabaci (Asia I), B. tabaci (Asia II), B. tabaci (New World-A Biotype), B. tabaci (sub-Saharan Africa), and B. tabaci (Uganda sweetpotato). B. tabaci is of African origin as indicated by position of the sub-Saharan African clade at the base of the global phylogeny. Re-analyses of ITS, COI, and a combined data set from a previous study resulted in seven major well resolved races with high posterior probabilities, also showing the utility of the Bayesian method. Relationships of the nine major B. tabaci races are discussed herein.