Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

RAPD-PCR STUDIES ON BUMBLE BEES (BOMBUS HAEMORRHOIDALIS AND BOMBUS RUFOFASCIATUS) AND THEIR IMPORTANT PESTS (PHYSOCEPHALA TIBIALIS AND APHOMIA SOCIELLA)

Avinash Chauhan, B.S. Rana, Manisha Thakur and Sapna Katna

Abstract

Bumble bees (Bombus spp.) are important pollinators attacked by different pests. Present studies were conducted to know the genetic relatedness among bumble bee species Bombus haemorrhoidalis; Bombus rufofaciatus and their important pests, i.e. conopid fly, (Physocephala tibialis) and bee moth (Aphomia sociella). DNA was isolated from all the insects under study and quantified. PCR was carried out using 14 random OPA primers. In all the primers bands were observed ranging from 300-700 bp in B. haemorrhoidalis whereas in B. rufofaciatus they were recorded between 300-900 bp regions. In case of Physocephala tibialis amplified DNA bands were observed between 200-700 bp region whereas in A. sociella bands were obtained between 300-1000 bp. Based on these studies 62% genome similarity was found between B. haemorrhoidalis and B. rufofaciatus whereas very less similarity (51%) was recorded between A. sociella, P. tibialis, B. haemorrhoidalis and B. rufofaciatus. In future such studies can be used for finding the relation between different insect species which are parasitically or socially related to each other.