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Abstract
Background and aim. The avocado stem weevil Copturus aguacatae is an important pest in avocado plantations. Its presence hinders the production and marketing of avocado in Mexico, the largest avocado producer worldwide. Biological control through pheromone synthesis, a strategy favored over chemical control in crops, is currently limited by difficult field identification of this species.
Materials and methods. Using DNA barcoding, we examine the patterns of genetic variation of C. aguacatae in avocado trees in Mexico to help facilitate its identification and biological control.
Results. We show that there is one single species of avocado stem weevil throughout the sampled sites in Mexico. Overall, haplotype diversity is high, with Oaxaca forming one distinct group and all other sampled populations are admixed irrespective of geographic origin.
Conclusion. The results suggest that high gene flow is maintained in this species and that a global strategy for biocontrol can be designed and implemented throughout the sampled range.
Declaration of interest: This work was funded by the Dirección General de Sanidad Vegetal of Mexico through a grant conferred on J.C.T. The laboratory work was supported by the Cullman Program in Molecular Systematics at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) and the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to the AMNH DNA Barcoding Initiative for Conservation, and the AMNH Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics. R.C.E. was the recipient of the Dean's Undergraduate Research Fellowship at New York University. A.C.-J. was the joint AMNH-NYBG Postdoctoral Fellow funded by the Cullman Program in Molecular Systematics at AMNH and NYBG.