Genetic Structure of the Aphis craccivora (Hemiptera: Aphididae) From Thailand Inferred From Mitochondrial COI Gene Sequence

The cowpea aphid, Aphis craccivora Koch (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is one of the most destructive insect pests of legume plants worldwide. Although outbreaks of this pest occur annually in Thailand causing heavy damage, its genetic structure and demographic history are poorly understood. In order to determine genetic structure and genetic relationship of the geographic populations of this species, we examined sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene of 51 individuals collected from 32 localities throughout Thailand. Within the sequences of these geographic populations, 32 polymorphic sites defined 17 haplotypes, ranging in sequence divergence from 0.2% (1 nucleotide) to 2.7% (16 nucleotides). A relatively high haplotype diversity but low nucleotide diversity was detected in the populations of A. craccivora, a finding that is typical for migratory species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a weak phylogeographic structuring among the geographic populations and among the haplotypes, indicating their close relationship. Considering the distance between the sampling sites, the occurrence of identical haplotypes over wide areas is noteworthy. Moreover, the low genetic distance (F(ST) ranging from −0.0460 to 0.3263) and high rate of per-generation female migration (Nm ranging from 1.0323 to 20.3333) suggested population exchange and gene flow between the A. craccivora populations in Thailand.