Amplification of the COI Molecular Marker for the Diptera Lixophaga Diatraeae and Eucelatoria sp

Abstract

The dipters Lixophaga diatraeae and Eucelatoria sp. biological controls of the stem borer (Diatraea saccharalis) and defoliators respectively in sugar cane, are produced by artisan work at the Centers for Reproduction of Entomophagues and Entomopathogens (CREE) as part of the National Program of Biological Struggle (PNLB in Spanish initials) being developed by the Azcuba Enterprise Group since the decade of eighties last century. The quality control of the production of these species has leaned mainly in productive behavior indications and external morphological characters whch make difficult to differentiate insects of anatomical similarities. The employ of molecular tools for an accurate identification of species has revolutionized the form of their characterization and provide bigger information at specific level. The molecular taxonomy of some species mainly dipters, as these two flies, is still not resolved, with the result that, studies of genome regions are proposed to contribute to a better identification of enthomological species of interest The aim of the study was to obtain the mitochondrial molecular marker cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) for the flies L. diatraea and Eucelatoria sp.  to contribute to diagnose at CREE level as a viable alternatve to enhance the quality control of their productions. The analysis allowed the amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the DNA mitochondrial region corresponding to the gene COI by means of the universals primers used that produced the expected bands of 750 base pairs (bp)