TAXONOMICAL AND ECOLOGICAL STUDIES ON SOME MEALYBUG SPECIES INFESTING FRUIT TREES AND ORNAMENTAL PLANTS IN EGYPT [Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha Pseudococcidae]

Abstract

Dalia Nabil: "Taxonomical and Ecological Studies on Some Mealybug species Infesting Fruit Trees and Ornamental Plants in Egypt”. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Ain Shams University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Plant Protection, Egypt, 2020. Survey of mealybug species was carried throughout three successive years (2014-2016) in Egypt. Identification and confirmation procedures recorded 13 pseudococcid species which belonging to 8 genera in addition to one eriococcid species. Four species were recorded for the first time during the present work. These species with their host plants were tabulated. Synonymy list for each species was provided. Bracket and pictorial identification keys for different categories of Pseudococcidae were constructed. Two molecular techniques were applied to confirm identification, fingerprinting the surveyed species and investigated phylogenetic relationships between these species. These techniques are: A. Inter Simple Sequences Repeats (ISSRs): Three specific primers were used to amplify by PCR. These primers produced polymorphic fragments. Five fragments were considered as species-specific markers for four species out of the13 recorded species. This technique could be investigated for genetic-variations among populations from different localities and hosts. Results revealed that geographical distribution has role while host plants had no effect. B. Small Subunit Ribosomal 18S rDNA gene: This technique was used to investigate the nucleotide sequences for 14 surveyed species. Data obtained for each species were compared with those previously registered in GenBank with percentage of identity (97-100%).