Genetic variability of the invasive species Metcalfa pruinosa (Hemiptera: Flatidae) in the Republic of Korea

Abstract

Metcalfa pruinosa (Say, 1830) (Hemiptera: Flatidae) has caused substantial agricultural damage since its recent introduction to the Republic of Korea; however, the source of this introduction is still unclear. To examine the genetic divergence and phylogenetic relationships among several populations of M. pruinosa from Korea and foreign countries, 251 COI sequences from 251 samples collected from Korea, France, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, and the United States were newly analyzed, together with seven published COI sequences from Canada. In total, 19 haplotypes were detected from the 258 COI sequences, and three haplotypes, H1, H3, and H9, were detected from samples in Korea. The MJ network and Bayesian inference revealed that the three haplotypes of Korea were closely connected with samples of Italy, Spain, Slovenia, France, and the United States. Our study revealed the possibility of multiple invasions of M. pruinosa from Europe and/or North America into Korea.