Host associated genetic differentiation in cotton fleahopper, Pseudatomoscelis seriatus (Reuter), in Texas

Cotton fleahopper is a secondary pest of cotton in Southern Texas and its neighboring states. Present understanding on abundance of cotton fleahopper is limited to the movement of this insect pest from one host to another. We have approached this issue by using molecular markers (AFLP) to find if any host associated genetic differentiation exists among populations of cotton fleahoppers from several hosts. Three host plants (Monarda punctata, Gossypium hirsutum and Croton capitatus) of cotton fleahopper in the study area (Brazos County, Texas) support fleahopper populations at different times of the year. Molecular markers were developed for the cotton fleahopper and our analysis shows that there is no significant differentiation among the sympatrically occurring populations from the three host plants. Further investigation on genetic and phenotypic differentiation is underway on both sympatric and allopatric populations of cotton fleahoppers within the state. Importance of ecological factors such as time of habitat colonization, habitat stability and dispersal can explain the present findings.