Application of DNA barcoding to the identification of Hymenoptera parasitoids from the soybean aphid (Aphis glycines) in China.

Aphis glycines Matsumura is an important pest of soybean in Asia and North America. Hymenoptera parasitoids play a key role in the control of the soybean aphid. The correct identification of parasitoids is a critical step that precedes the assessment of their potential biological control agents. Accurate identification of the majority of the species attacking the soybean aphid often requires elaborate specimen preparation and expert taxonomic knowledge. In this study, we facilitated the identification of soybean aphid parasitoids by applying a DNA barcoding approach following a preliminary morphological identification. We generated DNA sequence data from the mitochondrial COI gene and the D2 region of 28S rDNA to assess the genetic variation within and between parasitoid species emerging from the soybean aphid in China. Fifteen Hymenoptera parasitoid species belonging to 10 genera of five families were identified with little intra-specific variation (0.09% ± 0.06% for 28S and 0.36% ± 0.18% for COI) and large inter-specific divergence (30.46% ± 3.42% for 28S and 20.4% ± 1.20% for COI).