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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Insect Sci.
Sec. Insect Systematics
Volume 4 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/finsc.2024.1465794

A DNA-based approach to infer species diversity of white grub larvae and adults from the genus Phyllophaga (Coleoptera: Scarabeidae)

Provisionally accepted
Ariel W. Guzmán-Franco Ariel W. Guzmán-Franco 1*Maribel Ribero-Borja Maribel Ribero-Borja 1Antonio Marín-Jarillo Antonio Marín-Jarillo 2Fernando Tamayo-Mejía Fernando Tamayo-Mejía 3Nayra Guzmán-Santillán Nayra Guzmán-Santillán 4Tania Guzmán-Santillán Tania Guzmán-Santillán 5
  • 1 Colegio de Postgraduados (COLPOS), Montecillo, Mexico
  • 2 Campo Experimental Bajío, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), Celaya, Mexico
  • 3 Secretaria de Desarrollo Agropecuario y Rural, Celaya/Guanajuato, Mexico
  • 4 School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom
  • 5 Bristol Veterinary School, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, England, United Kingdom

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Scarabaeoidea is a diverse and widely distributed insect group; many are agricultural pests including species within the genus Phyllophaga. Species diversity studies in this taxonomic group are done mainly using morphological identification; however, despite existing taxonomic keys for adults and larvae, identification can be difficult due to their complex morphology. Molecular taxonomy can increase the value and accuracy of morphological species identification of larvae and adults. To test this, larvae collected from soil close to maize plants were identified using molecular taxonomy methods, and compared with adults captured using light traps. The larvae (2021) and adults (2022) were sampled on maize at the same locations in central Mexico. The molecular identification of larvae and adults were performed using three regions within the Cytochrome oxidase gene (cox), two in the Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1), Cytochrome b (CytB) and 28S rDNA. Cox gene information was more useful than nuclear information (28S). The combined morphological and molecular taxonomy used on adults distinguished between seven Phyllophaga species.Although two closely related species, P. polyphyla and P. ravida, were distinguished using cox gene information, a greater resolution was obtained using CytB. All analyses identified cryptic species within P. vetula. Species found amongst sampled adults were similar to those found amongst larvae. However, the number of species was greater in adults than in larvae at some locations. Larval information showed Phyllophaga community structure changed over time. Our findings will contribute to a better understanding of Phyllophaga's ecology in maize.

    Keywords: molecular taxonomy, Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1, cytochrome b, 28S rDNA, Integrative taxonomy

    Received: 16 Jul 2024; Accepted: 09 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Guzmán-Franco, Ribero-Borja, Marín-Jarillo, Tamayo-Mejía, Guzmán-Santillán and Guzmán-Santillán. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Ariel W. Guzmán-Franco, Colegio de Postgraduados (COLPOS), Montecillo, Mexico

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