Prevalence of a new genetic group, MEAM-K, of the whitefly bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in Karnataka, India, as evident from mtCOI sequences

Abstract

The whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is an economically important agricultural pest globally that costs growers billions of dollars to control. Given the pest status of B. tabaci and its propensity for invasiveness, a detailed work to resolve the prevalence of B. tabaci genetic groups is warranted. Hence, we analyzed mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I sequences from 71 samples of B. tabaci to determine the prevalence of genetic groups on various host plants in India. Results revealed the prevalence of the 4 previously existing genetic groups, namely Asia-I, Asia-II-7, Asia-II-8, and Middle East Asia Minor-1 (MEAM-1), and of a new group called Middle East Asia Minor-K, which is genetically close (92.6%) to MEAM-1.