Faunistic and Molecular Surveys on the Pistachio Hemiptera of Rafsanjan Region and Vicinity, South East Iran

Abstract

Pistachio is considered to be a strategic crop of Iran. Some groups of true bugs are among key pests of pistachio orchards throughout the country. Here, a comprehensive collecting of true bugs in pistachio orchards and surrounding weeds in Rafsanjan region (Kerman province) and its suburbs since March 2009 up to November 2011, resulted in finding 46 species of 37 genera, 17 subfamilies and 10 families. Among the collected specimens, two species of Riptortus oxianus Kiritshenko, 1914 and Parapiesma rotundatum Horvath, 1906 from Alydidae and Piesmatidae have been reported as new records for Iran. In order to study the genetic population, a partial segment of COI gene of samples was sequenced. The sequences were compared with those retrieved from the BOLD system and the GenBank through nBLAST. The results showed the COI sequences in the studied specimens can facilitate the separation of the species. Based on the relationships between these species, 10 tribes were clearly distinguished from each other as well as two infraorders, Cimicomorpha and Pentatomomorpha. This is the first effort to molecular study on the true bugs in Iran’s pistachio orchards.