title: Extensive settlement of the invasive MEAM1 population of Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in the Caribbean and rare detection of indigenous populations.
abstract: Bemisia tabaci populations belonging to Middle East-Asia Minor one (MEAM1) and Mediterranean (MED) groups (formerly biotype B and Q, respectively) have spread throughout the world. Although the introduction of MEAM1 is documented from several Caribbean islands, it is generally not known  whether MED has also been introduced; whether indigenous populations have survived; and if in the affirmative, to which group(s) they belonged. Whiteflies were collected from seven islands on various plant species. The prevalence of MEAM1 and non-MEAM1 individuals was assessed using a microsatellite  approach validated with sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (mtCOI) gene. Of the 262 samples tested, 247 exhibited the MEAM1 pattern, whereas none showed the MED pattern. The mtCOI gene was partially sequenced from a sample of individuals exhibiting MEAM1 (n = 15) and  non-MEAM1 patterns (n = 8) and compared with type sequences. The 15 individuals exhibiting the MEAM1 pattern were confirmed to belong to MEAM1. Of the eight individuals representative of the six non-MEAM1 patterns, two belonged to the indigenous New World (NW) group of B. tabaci (NW),  one belonged to a distinct species of Bemisia, and five belonged to MEAM1. One individual belonging to NW exhibited 99.9% nucleotide identity with a NW individual from Puerto Rico. The other was identified as the most divergent individual of the North and Central American genetic cluster.  We conclude that a highly homogenous MEAM1 population has extensively settled in the Caribbean and that heterogeneous NW populations were still detectable although severely displaced.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Fitopatología, Centro Nacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria (CENSA), San José de las Lajas, La Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Muñiz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Granier
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caruth
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Umaharan
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marchal
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pavis
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wicker
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peterschmitt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017691:Caribbean Region; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000235:genetics; D058865:Introduced Species; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV