Phylogenetic relationship of four species of Sitophilus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Abstract

The present study provides details about the phylogenetic relationship of four species namely, Sitophilus oryzae (L.), S. zeamais (Motschulsky), S. granarius (Schoenherr), S. linearis (L.) on the basis of mitochondrial COI (Cytochrome oxidase I) gene as the marker. The study was done by amplifying the COI gene for the four species and then aligning and comparing their DNA sequences. The aligned DNA sequences were compared for evolutionary details with the help of MrBayes software. The phylogenetic relationships derived from molecular data act as an important tool in discriminating closely allied species and would act as a marker in providing reliable information on various patterns of variation, evolution and genetic diversity.