Molecular markers to discriminate among four pest species ofHelicoverpa(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract

AbstractThe four significant pest species in theHelicoverpagenus (H. armigera, H. assulta,H. punctigeraandH. zea) are morphologically similar and can only be reliably distinguished through dissection of adult genitalia. Two partial regions of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and the cytochromeb(Cytb) genes were amplified by PCR and digested with restriction endonucleases. The restriction patterns, generated by the endonucleasesBstZ17I andHphI, demonstrated reliable differentiation of the fourHelicoverpapest species. This technique is fast, reliable and effective at distinguishing specimens irrespective of their life stages and offers support to conventional taxonomic differentiation based on morphological characters.