Mitochondrial genetic variation and invasion history of red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in middle-east and mediterranean basin

The Red Palm Weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferruginous (Olivier), (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Rhynchophorinae), is an invasive pest of palm trees. RPW has invaded Middle East and several countries of the Mediterranean Basin during the last three decades. The mitochondrial genetic variation of RPW was investigated in the Middle-East and the Mediterranean basin areas using partial sequences of the Cytochrome c oxidase sub-unit 1 (COI) gene. A 546-base pair portion of COI gene was sequenced for 310 individuals of RPW sampled from 14 different invaded countries resulting in eight different haplotypes. Eight haplotypes were subdivided into two phylogenetic groups according to their geographic positions. The obtained genetic diversity suggested that RPW population subdivided genetically into different sub-populations under the influence of genetic drift favored by founder events. RPW followed three different routes of invasion during the last 30 years. Likely, Middle-east populations and the Mediterranean ones are originating from different geographic populations of RPW. The data reported in this paper present an interesting and useful step toward the understanding of the genetic variation and invasion history of RPW.