Phenetic and Phylogenetic Relationships among Ten Species of Dendroctonus Bark Beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Abstract

Molecular genetic relationships among 10 species of Dendroctonus bark beetles were assessed using electrophoretic data from 18 gene loci. Cluster and distance Wagner analysis of these data showed a high level of similarity between D. pseudotsugae Hopkins and D. simplex LeConte, D. valens LeConte and D. terebrans (Olivier), and D. adjunctus Blandford and D. approximates Dietz. These groupings correspond generally to groups identified in earlier studies using anatomical, cytogenetic, and behavioral characteristics. The distance Wagner tree indicated that D. rufipennis (Kirby), D. adjunctus, and D. approximatus are the most primitive species. D. valens, D. terebrans, D. simplex, D. pseudotsugae, and D. frontalis Zimmermann appear to be the most evolutionarily advanced of the species studied.