Abstract:
All species in the genus Lysiphlebus Förster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Aphidiinae)
are solitary endoparasitoids of aphids, which are one of the most difficult and unknown
taxonomic groups to identify. A pair of species-specific primers as a molecular marker
was designed to identify the most abundant and important aphid parasitoid wasp, L.
fabarum Marshall, collected from Guilan province (Iran). This primer pair, which
produces a 148 bp fragment length, was developed for L. fabarum by using the ATPase 6
gene region of mitochondrial DNA. The lower detection limit to amplify DNA of L.
fabarum in a singleplex PCR was determined to be 72 pg of parasitoid DNA/µl PCR which
was enough to detect this parasitoid in early life stages within its host. The L. fabarum
eggs cannot be detected within Aphis fabae Scopoli (Hemiptera: Aphididae) earlier than
12 hours after oviposition. A pair of species specific primers designed for L. fabarum can
be used to monitor the wasp populations under field conditions.
Keywords: Aphid parasitoid wasp, ATPase 6, Molecular marker, PCR.
