First interception of two wood feeding potential invasive Coptotermes termite species in India
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
First interception of two wood feeding potential invasive Coptotermes termite species in India D. K. Nagaraju 1 & C. M. Kalleshwaraswamy 2 & D. Iyyanar 1 & Maharaj Singh 1 & R. K. Jain 1 & N. Kasturi 1 & M. Ranjith 2 & H. M. Mahadevaswamy 3 & R. Asokan 3 Received: 23 December 2019 / Accepted: 25 September 2020 # African Association of Insect Scientists 2020
Abstract Several termite species are significant economic pests, causing damage to wood in both man-made structures and also in forest ecosystem. The species belongs to genus Coptotermes (Rhinotermitidae: Isoptera: Blattodea) are widespread and few of them are among the world’s most dangerous wood pests. Two species of Coptotermes were collected, identified and described from yemene, mora and tali logs imported from Columbia, Suriname and Equitorial Guinea. These two intercepted species are nonnative to India which are Coptotermes testaceus (Linnaeus) and Coptotermes sjöstedti Holmgren. Identification was initially made with morphological characters and then with molecular DNA barcoding for a 348 bp fragment of 16S rRNA gene. Maximum likelihood Phylogenetic analysis results showed that data recovered as monophyletic which confirms the species identity. Coptotermes testaceus and C. sjöstedti are in single clade. Coptotermes testaceus is neotropical in origin and C. sjöstedti is native to Africa. Both the species are known to be serious pests in human habitats and forest ecosystem in the regions of their distributions. This first interception suggests possible chances of entry and establishment in India and provides an important alert for authorities concerned to take the necessary steps in monitoring and preventing its possible introduction. The importance of quarantine and potential infliction of damage they may cause if unnoticed and future measures to be taken are discussed. Keywords Coptotermes testaceus . C. sjöstedti . DNA barcoding . 16S rRNA gene . Invasive . Maximum likelihood . Monophyletic
Introduction Through globalization and trade, huge numbers of exotic species of insects move from continent to continent, resulting in significant economic loss. Many termite species are major economic pests, causing wood damage both in man-made buildings and in the forest environment. Around 28 termite species are considered invasive throughout the world and have
* C. M. Kalleshwaraswamy [email protected] 1
Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, NH-IV, Faridabad, Haryana, India
2
Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga, Karnataka 577 204, India
3
Division of Biotechnology, ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Hessaraghatta Lake (PO), Bengaluru, Karnataka 560 069, India
spread outside their native ranges, often with significant economic implications (Buczkowski and Bertelsmeier 2017). The most important subterranean genera are the genus Coptotermes Wasmann (Rhinotermitidae) in which few species are known to be invasi
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