Aliens at the border and cadavers in the field: a molecular technique for species identification

Abstract

Immature life stages of fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) and leafroller moths (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) can not be readily distinguished by phenotype. The need to identify these groups originated for different primary reasons but identification has been achieved using a common molecular approach. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) detected in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified ribosomal DNA (rDNA) provides a rapid diagnostic test for several of these species across a broad taxonomic range, irrespective of life stage or tissue quality. Application of this technique to identify fruit fly specimens intercepted at the border and parasitised leafroller cadavers in the field is presented.