Identification of Microsatellite Alleles for Population Genetics Study of Invasive Soybean Pentatomid, Piezodorus guildinii (Westwood)

Piezodorus guildinii is an invasive pest species in North America.  It was first reported in Louisiana soybean fields in 2000 and has since become the predominant soybean stink bug species in the area.  In order to understand its population structure and patterns of dispersal, this study sought to identify informative microsatellite loci for P. guildinii.  The genome was sequenced de novo using Next Gen Sequencing techniques, microsatellite loci identified, and loci checked for polymorphisms using two populations.  So far this study has identified twelve informative microsatellite loci.  These loci will be used for a future study analyzing the population structure of P. guildinii through samples taken from 2008-2015 at five different localities in Louisiana.