DNA barcoding of the fire ant genus Solenopsis Westwood (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Riyadh region the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

摘要

The ant genus Westwood, 1840 is the largest in Myrmicinae subfamily having almost 200 described species worldwide. They are commonly distributed in the tropics and temperate areas of the world. Some invasive species are very dreadful. We have already reported a fire ant species, Sharaf & Aldawood, 2011, identified using traditional morphometric approaches of species identification. Present study was carried out to develop DNA Barcoding to identify and to elucidate genetic structure of the various populations across their distribution range in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The comparison of DNA barcodes showed no genetic diversity among six populations and a queen from analyzed from the Riyadh region. This genetic resemblance probably reflects their adaptation toward a specific habitat, thus constituting a single and strong gene pool. Our comprehensive field survey did not provide any evidence of species except in the Riyadh region. populations were only found around date palm trees indicating their strong association with date palm groves. Moreover, has 83–86% sequence identity to other spp. from other parts of the world. Interestingly, the highest sequence identity of (86%) was with that of Say, 1836, the thief ant, from the USA. This study provides a working laboratory procedure and a reference library for the identification of