title: Molecular evidence of polyandry in the citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae).
abstract: The occurrence of polyandry in Planococcuscitri, presumed by earlier observations of mating behavior, was confirmed using microsatellite genotyping of pools of over 400 eggs resulting from controlled crosses of one female with two males. The genetic contribution of both mated males was confirmed in 13 out of 43 crosses. In three crosses it was possible to determine that only the first male fertilized the eggs, which may be due to sperm competition or unviable sperm supply. The microsatellite analysis also allowed the confirmation of aspects of the chromosomal inheritance detected previously in cytogenetic studies in Planococcuscitri, namely that only one of the alleles is transmitted by the male, indicating that the males are functionally haploid, supporting the observation of Paternal Genome Elimination (PGE) in these insects.
authors.affiliation: Computational Biology and Population Genomics Group, Centro de Biologia Ambiental, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal. sgseabra@fc.ul.pt
authors.forename: Sofia G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Seabra
authors.forename: Patricia G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Brás
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zina
authors.forename: Elsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Borges da Silva
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Rebelo
authors.forename: Elisabete
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Figueiredo
authors.forename: Zvi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mendel
authors.forename: Octávio S
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Paulo
authors.forename: José Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Franco
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D005260:Female; D017344:Genes, Insect; D056426:Genetic Loci; D005838:Genotype; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal