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Summary
This study investigated nuclear markers in Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) that can be used as a diagnostic tool to detect F1 hybrids from field samples. Six microsatellite markers were compatible for both parental species and hybrid termites and were optimized so that a standard gene library can be built for the south Florida Coptotermes populations.
Key Words: termite; microsatellite; interspecies; optimization
Sumario
Este estudio investigó marcadores nucleares en Coptotermes gestroi y C. formosanus que pueden ser utilizados como una herramienta de diagnóstico para detectar híbridos de F8 a partir de muestras de campo. Seis marcadores de microsatélites fueron compatibles tanto para las especies parentales y las termitas híbridas y se optimizaron para que una biblioteca de genes estándar pueda ser construida para poblaciones de Coptotermesen el sur de la Florida.
Palabras Clave: termita; microsatélite; intraespecies; mejoramiento
The Formosan subterranean termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and the Asian subterranean termite Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) are 2 of the most invasive subterranean termite species in the world (Evans et al. 2013; Chouvenc et al. 2016a). These species are allopatric in their native area, but their distributions now overlap in a few locations with a subtropical climate, including Taiwan, Hawaii, Hainan, and south Florida (Grace 2014; Cao & Su 2015). Although both species are genetically distinct and the 2 lineages evolved independently for approximately 18 million yr (Bourguignon et al. 2015), it was recently shown that they had the potential for hybridization in Florida (Chouvenc et al. 2015). Interspecies mating between alates of both species was observed in the field in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017, and incipient F1 colonies were successfully established in the laboratory (T. Chouvenc, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida). However, it is unknown if such F1 hybrids are established in the field, primarily because subterranean termites have a cryptic nest and the soldier morphology is highly conserved within the group (Scheffrahn & Su 2005), preventing rapid detection and identification from field samples.
These species have been introduced into Florida (1980-1990s), and we suspected that the potential for hybridization may have been limited to the past few years because the geographical overlap was first...