Distribution and diversity of Wolbachia in different populations of the wheat aphid Sitobion miscanthi (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in China

Abstract

Wolbachia is a widely distributed intracellular symbiont in the reproductive tissues of arthropods. The wheat aphid Sitobion miscanthi (Takahashi) is an important agricultural pest worldwide. Wolbachia was detected in different populations of S. miscanthi in China using 16s rDNA and wsp-specific primers. Of eighteen populations eleven were infected with Wolbachia. Several strains of Wolbachia infected these S. miscanthi populations. Of the eleven infected populations, four were infected with only one Wolbachia strain and seven with double infections. This is the most systematic survey of the distribution of Wolbachia in the wheat aphid.