Molecular phylogeny of Cotesia species (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)inferred from a 16S gene

摘要

The genus Cotesia (Hymenoptera: Braco-nidae) was erected by Cameron in 19thcentury. Apanteles Foerster was listed as asynonym until the generic reclassificationof the Microgastrinae: Braconidae byMason~1. Cotesia is a large group ofprimary parasitoids of Lepidoptera, withabout 1500-2000 species worldwide~1.Many Cotesia species are important naturalenemies of agricultural and forestrypests, and several species have been usedas biocontrol agents of lepidopteran pestsin temperate regions of the world. Thebiology of the Cotesia species is diverseand taxonomy is controversial with rela-tively recent usage of the generic nameCotesia~1. The present study is aimed toidentify the collected Cotesia species byusing a 16S gene, to measure thehomology between different Cotesiapopulations and to assess the usefulnessof this genetic region for phylogeneticstudies.