Abstract:
During the first half of the twentieth
century, two accidental cases of introduction of
Pissodes weevils were recorded from the southern
hemisphere. The weevils in South Africa were identified
as the deodar weevil (Pissodes nemorensis) and
those in South America as the small banded pine
weevil (Pissodes castaneus). Wide distribution of the
two species in their invasive range, general difficulty
in identifying some Pissodes spp., and the varying
feeding and breeding behaviours of the species in
South Africa has necessitated better evidence of
species identity and genetic diversity of both species
and population structure of the species in South Africa.
Barcoding and the Jerry-to-Pat region of the COI gene were investigated. Morphometric data of the South
African species was analysed. Our results confirmed
the introduction of only one Pissodes species of North
American origin to South Africa. However, this
species is not P. nemorensis, but an unrecognized
species of the P. strobi complex or a hybrid between P.
strobi and P. nemorensis. Only P. castaneus, of
European origin, was identified from South America.
We identified ten mitochondrial DNA haplotypes from
South Africa with evidence of moderate genetic
structure among geographic populations. Terminal
leader and bole-feeding weevils did not differ at the
COI locus. A single haplotype was identified from
populations of P. castaneus in South America. Results
of the present study will have implications on quarantine,
research and management of these insect
species.
