TAXONOMIC ASPECTS OF CICADELLID SPECIES INFESTING MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS IN EGYPT

Abstract

The present work aimedto survey, identify, fingerprint and detect phylogenetic relationships among different leafhopper species infesting medicinal and aromatic plants in Egypt. Fifteen leafhopper species were collected frommedicinal and aromatic plants at different localities and governorates in Egypt using both sweeping net and aspirator throughout 2011 to 2015. The surveyed species wereAconurellaprolix (Lethierry),ExitianuspondusRoss,NephotettixmodulatesMelichar,Parabolocratalissp.Evans,Balcluthafrontalis(Ferrari),Cicadulinabipunctellazeae China,CicadulinachainaiGhauri,Macrostelessexnotatus(Fallen),OrosiusalbicinctusDistant,Psammotettixalienus(Dahlbom),Neolimnusaegyptiacus(Matsumura),EmpoascadecipiensPaoli,EupteryxcypriaRibaut,MegulopasahlbergorumLindbergandAustroagalliasp.Evans. Morphological diagnostic characters were described for each collected species. Parabolocratalissp. is considered as a new record in leafhoppers fauna in Egypt. An identification key based on morphological characters was designed to identify different surveyed species. Fingerprinting different leafhopper species was achieved using two trends of DNA based techniques; the first trend,Inter Simple Sequence Repeat Polymerase Chain Reaction technique (ISSR-PCR) was carried out by using seven primers.Those primers were selected to apply with the fifteen leafhopper species. These primersamplifiedsixty nine bands, fifty-six of them were polymorphic while nine bands were considered as positive markers, three bands were considered as common bands and three bands were considered asnegative markers. The other trend was based on detecting of mitochondrial DNA Cytochrome Oxidase I. New mtDNA COI marker was designed and registered at the GenBank. This marker successedfor barcoding eight leafhopper species. Similarity matrix and phylogenetic relationships among surveyed species were detected based on three criteria; diagnostic morphological characters, ISSR-PCR andmtCO1 sequences.

Key words:Cicadellidae, Leafhoppers, Medicinal, Aromatic Plants, Hemiptera, Auchenorrhyncha, Molecular ISSR-PCR,mtCOI.