Abstract:

Abstract: Genetic diversity and diversification of the Anatolian populations of Andricus lignicola (Hartig, 1840) (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) were investigated using 433 base pairs of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Eighteen distinct haplotypes from 15 populations were determined. Analyses indicated average haplotype and nucleotide diversity as 0.325 and 0.008, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses conducted through the application of maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony produced similar topologies with two major clade structures supported by high bootstrap values. Bayesian analysis produced more polytomies without major basal groupings of the haplotypes. Parsimony network analysis revealed four haplogroups, and the largest group comprised half of the haplotypes. Our preliminary ABGD analysis implied the presence of four hidden lineages with the possibility of a cryptic species complex within A. lignicola. Hierarchical F-statistics (AMOVA) for detecting partitioning of molecular variation supported the presence of a conspicuous amount of genetic differentiation among these four primary groups.

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