Undescribed color polymorphism of the Asiatic palm weevil, Rhynchophorus vulneratus Panzer (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Indonesia: biodiversity study based on COI gene

Authors

  • Sukirno Sukirno Entomology Laboratory, Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta INDONESIA http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3708-9363
  • Muhammad Tufail Economic Entomology Research Unit, Plant Protection Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Organization of Advanced Science and Technology, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
  • Khawaja Ghulam Rasool Economic Entomology Research Unit, Plant Protection Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  • Abdulrahman Saad Aldawood Economic Entomology Research Unit, Plant Protection Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Keywords:

COI, diversity, DNA barcoding, mitochondrial DNA, red palm weevil

Abstract

Palm weevils are notorious insect pests of coconut palms in Indonesia and other palm species worldwide. Indonesian palm weevils exhibiting a rusty red marking on the pronotum are classified as the red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier; Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae). However, morphology-based identification and crossbreeding studies suggested that these insects are color morphs of the Asiatic palm weevil (Rhynchophorus vulneratus Panzer; Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae). The purpose of this study was to clarify the presence of undescribed color polymorphisms of the Asiatic palm weevil from Indonesia using a partial sequence of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. The COIs of 107 specimens of palm weevils collected from Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan were amplified using Folmer primers. COI analysis revealed high intraspecific variability in palm weevils from Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. Although Folmer primers of COI are powerful species identification tools in many taxa, they were unsuitable in this research for Indonesian palm weevils because interspecific variation was lower than intraspecific variation. This study concluded that undescribed color polymorphisms exist in the Asiatic palm weevil. The rusty red polymorphisms of the Asian palm weevil might be erroneously identified as R. ferrugineus.

 

Resumen

Los gorgojos (o picudos) de las palmeras son plagas notorias de las palmas de coco en Indonesia y otras especies de palmeras en todo el mundo. Los gorgojos de la palma de Indonesia que exhiben una marca roja oxidada en el pronoto se clasifican como el picudo rojo de la palma (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier; Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae). Sin embargo, identificaciones basadas en la morfología y los estudios de cruzamiento sugirieron que estos insectos son morfos de color del picudo asiático (Rhynchophorus vulneratus Panzer; Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae). El propósito de este estudio fue aclarar la presencia de polimorfismos de color no descritos del gorgojo asiático de la palma de Indonesia utilizando una secuencia parcial del gen de la subunidad I (COI) de la citocromo oxidasa. La COI de 107 especímenes de gorgojos de la palma recolectados de Indonesia, Arabia Saudita y Pakistán se amplificaron utilizando cebadores Folmer. El análisis de COI reveló una alta variabilidad intraespecífica en los gorgojos de la palma de Indonesia y Arabia Saudita. Aunque los primers de Folmer de COI son poderosas herramientas de identificación de especies en muchos taxones, no fueron adecuados en esta investigación para los gorgojos de la palma de Indonesia porque la variación interespecífica fue menor que la variación intraespecífica. Este estudio concluyó que existen polimorfismos de color no descritos en el gorgojo asiático de la palma. Los polimorfismos rojos oxidados del picudo asiático de la palmera podrían identificarse erróneamente como R. ferrugineus.

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Published

2019-02-04

Issue

Vol. 101, No. 4 (December 2018)

Section

Research Papers

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