A simple PCRRFLP method to distinguish between species and strains of <i>Microctonus</i> parasitoids found in New Zealand

TL;DRAbstract

Two strains of the hymenopteran parasitoid Microctonus aethiopoides have been released in New Zealand for the biological control of Sitona weevil species One attacks Sitona discoideus a pest of lucerne and the other attacks Sitona lepidus a pest of clover Two other Microctonus species also attack weevils in pasture; M hyperodae was released for the biological control of Listronotus bonariensis and the native M zealandicus attacks Irenimus spp These Microctonus species can attack nontarget weevil hosts and the identification of the larvae of the different Microctonus species and the separation of adults of M aethiopoides strains can only be achieved by molecular methods This paper describes a simple polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCRRFLP) method for distinguishing between the two M aethiopoides strains M hyperodae and M zealandicus This PCRRFLP method requires minimal molecular equipment and is cheaper and/or faster than other molecular methods

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