Journal Article Epublish
PubMed: 40823049 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.71993
Updating the Systematic Status of Genus Heterotermes (Rhinotermitidae: Isoptera: Blattodea) by Combining Morphometric Analysis, Distribution Mapping, and DNA Barcoding Approaches.
Ecol Evol 15(8):e71993
Authors: Maid Zaman, Ahmad Faraz, Rashid Azad, Imtiaz Ali Khan, Brekhna Faheem, Naseem Rafiq, Abid Khan, Tian Shilin, Bandar M ALmunqedhi, Hayssam M Ali
Affiliations
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Physical and Applied Sciences The University of Haripur Haripur Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan.
- Department of Entomology The University of Agriculture Peshawar Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan.
- Department of Zoology Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan Mardan Pakistan.
- Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Physical and Applied Sciences The University of Haripur Haripur Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan.
- College of Biological and Food Engineering Huanghuai University Zhumadian Henan China.
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science King Saud University Riyadh Saudi Arabia.
Abstract
Termites are eusocial insects, found widely in the tropics of the world. They are known as serious pests to agriculture, forestry, and structures, but they also act as key ecological engineers in the wild. We assessed termites diversity in three districts (Buner, Swabi and Haripur), which belong to various agro-ecological regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan; Oriental region). Sampling was done either by breaking visible mud galleries or by using modified NIFA termaps. Fourteen characters/indices were assessed for species morphometrics and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and DNA was extracted from the identified soldier caste in each sample for MtDNA COII barcoding. An identification key and distribution map were made for Heterotermes gretudae (MZ018116.1) and Heterotermes indicola (MZ055400.1). H. gretudae is a true species endemic to India but is recorded in Pakistan for the first time (Buner and Swabi districts) on new feeding host substrates, while H. indicola has a new locality record. PCA analysis (74.9% variation) and MtDNA COII barcoding (Maximum Likelihood analyses) were used to validate the species. Novel COII sequences were submitted to the GenBank.
MeSH
Records, Dna