Molecular Identification and Detection of Lysiphlebus fabarum (Hym.: Braconidae): A Key Parasitoid of Aphids, by Using Polymerase Chain Reaction

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.