title: Identification of Lygus hesperus by DNA barcoding reveals insignificant levels of genetic structure among distant and habitat diverse populations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The western tarnished plant bug Lygus hesperus is an economically important pest that belongs to a complex of morphologically similar species that makes identification problematic. The present study provides evidence for the use of DNA barcodes from populations of L. hesperus from the western United States of America for accurate identification.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This study reports DNA barcodes for 134 individuals of the western tarnished plant bug from alfalfa and strawberry agricultural fields in the western United States of America. Sequence divergence estimates of <3% reveal that morphologically variable individuals presumed to be L. hesperus were accurately identified. Paired estimates of F(st) and subsequent estimates of gene flow show that geographically distinct populations of L. hesperus are genetically similar. Therefore, our results support and reinforce the relatively recent (<100 years) migration of the western tarnished plant bug into agricultural habitats across the western United States.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study reveals that despite wide host plant usage and phenotypically plastic morphological traits, the commonly recognized western tarnished plant bug belongs to a single species, Lygus hesperus. In addition, no significant genetic structure was found for the geographically diverse populations of western tarnished plant bug used in this study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, United States of America.
authors.forename: Changqing
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Irfan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kandemir
authors.forename: Douglas B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: Frank G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Zalom
authors.forename: Laura Corley
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Lavine
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D058893:DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic; D017753:Ecosystem; D031985:Fragaria / Q000469:parasitology*; D040342:Genetic Structures; D020062:Heteroptera / Q000235:genetics*; D000455:Medicago sativa / Q000469:parasitology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D004247:DNA