›› 2018, Vol. 61 ›› Issue (7): 843-850.doi: 10.16380/j.kcxb.2018.07.011

• RESEARCH PAPERS • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Temporal and spatial distribution of Wolbachia infection in the poinsettia thrips, Echinothrips americanus (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

ZHANG Xiao-Chen, FENG Ji-Nian*    

  1.  (Key Laboratory of Plant Protection Resources and Pest Management, Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China)
  • Online:2018-07-20 Published:2018-07-20

Abstract: 【Aim】 To demonstrate spatio-temporal infection dynamics of Wolbachia in the poinsettia thrips, Echinothrips americanus. 【Methods】 Specific primers were designed based on the sequence of Wolbachia surface protein gene (wsp) to construct the standard plasmid. The absolute real-time quantitative PCR was used to determine the copy number of wsp in different developmental stages (egg, nymph, prepupa, pupa and adult) and adult tissues (head, thorax, abdomen and terminal three segments of abdomen) of both sexes of the thrips. 【Results】 The copy number of Wolbachia increased with the development of E. americanus, and the copy number of Wolbachia in female adult was significantly higher than those in egg and nymphal stages. The copy numbers of Wolbachia in different adult tissues were different. In female adults the copy number of Wolbachia in abdomen was significantly higher than those in head, thorax and the terminal three segments of abdomen, while in male adults the copy numbers in thorax and abdomen were significantly higher than those in head and the terminal three segments of abdomen. Sex and tissue had significant interactions with the copy number of Wolbachia in E. americanus. 【Conclusion】 The results indicate that the infection of Wolbachia in E. americanus is affected not only by the developmental stage of host, but also by host sex and tissue. This study provides a theoretical basis for understanding the occurrence, establishment and spreading of this thrips.

Key words: Echinothrips americanus, Wolbachia, wsp, spatio-temporal distribution, infection density, absolute real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR