New set of microsatellite markers for the spotted-wing Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae): A promising molecular tool for inferring the invasion history of this major insect pest

Abstract

Historical and observational data for invasive species are often sparse and incomplete, so molecular genetic markers are increasingly used and have proved to be efficient tools to make inferences about invasion histories. Here, we report the development of 28 polymorphic microsatellite markers in the invasive spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura, 1931) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) designed from recent genomics resources, and their cross-amplification in closely related Drosophila species of the suzukii subgroup. The markers, located on autosomal chromosomes, were characterized in two distinct invasive populations from France and Hawaii (USA), and in four sister species of the suzukii subgroup. They all showed substantial polymorphism as well as revealing strong genetic differentiation between the two genotyped populations. These markers represent a promising molecular tool for population genetic studies on D. suzukii, more especially in order to reconstruct the pathways and demographic processes of the world-wide invasion in this major insect pest.

Keywords

• diptera
• drosophilidae
• drosophila suzukii
• population genetics
• microsatellite
• invasion routes
• invasive species
• genetic structure