Genetic polymorphism in three species of tsetse flies (Diptera: Glossinidae) in Upper Volta.

Natural populations of Glossina morsitans submorsitans Newstead, Glossina palpalis gambiensis Vanderplank and Glossina tachinoides Westwood occurring within 150 km of Bobo-Dioulasso, Upper Volta were examined using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. No variation was found in the banding pattern for arginine phosphokinase (EC 2.7.3.3). G. p. gambiensis and G. tachinoides had three alleles for each of the thoracic enzymes octanol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.73), malic dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.37) and alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.8) and for midgut alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1). The same situation was found with G. m. submorsitans except that only two alleles for alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase and one for alkaline phosphatase were found. In each species, and for each of the enzymes, one allele was present at a frequency of 95% or greater. There was little or no variation between populations. Two laboratory colonies of G. p. gambiensis had less genetic variation than wild populations.