Indian meal moth (Plodia interpunctella Hubner.) is a destructive pest of raw and processed foods in many parts of the world. Genetic polymorphism studies are needed to assess the breeding structure and dispersal of these insects. Microsatellite sequences remain the most powerful nuclear DNA markers for population genetic analysis because they tend to be highly polymorphic and give better results in genetic studies. However limited success has been achieved in their isolation in lepidopteran species . Fifteen dinucleotide and tetra nucleotide microsatellite loci suitable for population genetic analysis were developed from genomic libraries enriched for microsatellite inserts. Thirteen loci were found to be polymorphic across the five populations screened with the number of alleles ranging from 4-8. These markers could clearly differentiate these populations. High polymorphism of these select loci provides great utility for population genetic studies of geographically isolated populations of Plodia interpunctella where other marker systems do not provide adequate variability for genetic analysis. Analysis of populations from different geographical areas using these markers will give an idea on the population structure of this insect and help develop a DNA fingerprinting system for Plodia interpunctella in the U.S. and around the world.
Species 1: Lepidoptera Pyralidae Plodia interpunctella (Indian meal moth)
Keywords: microsatellite, population genetics
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