Phylogenetic analysis of green and red forms of the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), in Japan, based on mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I sequences

Abstract

To determine the phylogenetic relationship between two forms of Japanese Tetranychus urticae, a portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene was sequenced for thirteen strains of the green form and eight strains of the red form. The Japanese green and red forms each consisted of three haplotypes, and the two forms were distinct from each other. However, phylogenetic analysis including mite samples from outside Japan revealed that the two forms are included in a single cluster. Although the entirety of T. urticae is comprised of two well diverged lineages, each of the two lineages included both the green and red forms. Thus, we conclude that from a phylogenetic viewpoint using COI sequences, the two forms belong to a single species.