Abstract: Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) biotypes B and Q are the two most invasive and widely distributed biotypes within the B. tabaci complex and occur mixedly in many regions at present. The rapid differentiation of the two biotypes is significant to the research of their population dynamics and invasion ecology. In order to verify the validity of microsatellite loci BEM06 and BEM23 to differentiate B. tabaci biotypes B and Q, the alleles of the two loci in the 17 B-biotype populations, 4 Q-biotype populations and 3 non-B/Q biotype populations were analyzed. The results showed that although the two loci used in combination could differentiate B. tabaci biotypes B and Q, they could not differentiate B/Q-biotype individuals from some non-B/Q biotype individuals effectively. The results suggest that the method to differentiate the biotypes B and Q with the two microsatellite loci has its limitations, especially when used for field populations in which other biotypes exist.

Key words: Bemisia tabaci, microsatellite markers, biotype, rapid differentiation, biological invasion