A molecular study of Neophyllaphis varicolor (Hemiptera, Aphididae) in Costa Rica

Abstract

The genus Neophyllaphis (Takahashi) (Aphididae: Neophyllaphidinae) is composed of 18 species; however, in the Americas only nine species have been reported previously. A new species, Neophyllaphis varicolor Miller & Halbert, was described in 2014 in USA. Colonies resembling those of this new species have been observed in Costa Rica on Podocarpus spp. In order to determine if N. varicolor is also present in Costa Rica, we sampled Neophyllaphis colonies from Podocarpus falcatus and P. chinensis. Additionally, we sampled individuals from Podocarpus sp. in Spain and Vietnam. DNA of each sample was extracted and used to amplify and sequence the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and elongation factor I (EF-1α) partial regions. According to morphological characteristics, sequences comparisons done in GenBank and BOLD, and phylogenetic analyses, the colonies collected from Podocarpus spp. in Costa Rica and the colony from Vietnam corresponded to the species N. varicolor. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of the presence of N. varicolor in Central America and Vietnam.