title: Genetic variability of Dactylopius opuntiae (Hemiptera, Dactylopiidae) on forage cactus in northeast Brazil.
abstract: The carmine cochineal Dactylopius opuntiae is a key pest in productive fields of forage cactus in Pernambuco, Brazil. Species identification by means of molecular markers assists in understanding the genetic profile, underpins morphological characterization, and supports the monitoring of populations in integrated management programs designed to control this pest. We evaluated the genetic variability of natural populations of D. opuntiae. Genetic variability was analyzed with ISSR and RAPD primers in 24 populations from 12 municipalities of Pernambuco State in Brazil. Morphological characterization confirmed that D. opuntiae was the only cochineal species present in all samples. Nine ISSR primers and six RAPD produced a total of 62 and 58 polymorphic fragments, respectively. Both types of markers showed an average genetic similarity of 80% regardless of the geographic origin of samples. The low genetic variability demonstrates a high degree of relatedness among these D. opuntiae populations.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Entomologia, Instituto Agronômico de Pernambuco, Secretaria de Estado da Agricultura e do Desenvolvimento Agrário, Recife, PE/Alagoas, AL, Brasil deise.passos@ipa.br.
authors.forename: D M P
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: do E S Mergulhão
authors.forename: L V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: de Medeiros
authors.forename: M V B
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Figueiredo
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Burity
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D029421:Cactaceae / Q000469:parasitology*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005819:Genetic Markers; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005843:Geography; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers