Species Identification Based On Mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I Gene And Begomoviruses Detection Of Bemisia Tabaci In Crops From Baja California Sur, Mexico

Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) (Gennadius, 1889), is a complex of cryptic species, well-known pests of crops. In the last decade, the displacement of the native genetic group of the Americas by the invasive species of Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1) has been reported, changing the status of its distribution. The objective of this study was the genetic group identification of B. tabaci from monocultures in Baja California Sur (BCS), Mexico, based on the fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I marker gene (mtCOI). We performed the Begomovirus detection in the whiteflies through intergenic region PCR amplification. The genetic group identification was carried out from adults (n = 210) feeding on Solanaceae and Cucurbitaceae crops in BCS during 2016-2017. The presence of Begomovirus was determined in this insect, which confirms its role as a viral vector. The phylogenetic reconstruction based on mtCOI showed that the analyzed population from BCS of B. tabaci formed a monophyletic grouping with members of MEAM1 genetic group. The parsimony analysis of mtCOI indicated a threshold of divergence of less than 4% (range from 0.0 to 1.69 %) of the analyzed population with members of the MEAM1 genetic group previously reported. Likewise, detection of the specific IR region for Begomoviruses was achieved. Based on these results, we suggest that the isolated B. tabaci insects from Solanaceae and Cucurbitaceae crops of BCS, from a remote region, belongs to the MEAM1. This genetic group is characterized to carry out a more efficient Begomovirus transmission. The presence of insects belonging to the MEAM1 genetic group might be due to the introduction of plants insect carriers coming from distant regions.