A new suite of twenty-two polymorphic microsatellite loci in the parasitic wasp, Habrobracon hebetor (Hymenoptera: Braconidae): Promising molecular tools for studying the population genetics of several beneficial braconid species

Combining a biotin-enrichment protocol and 454GS-FLX titanium pyrosequencing technology, we characterised 22 polymorphic microsatellite loci from the parasitic wasp, Habrobracon hebetor (Say) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a cosmopolitan species commonly used in biological control against a wide range of both major lepidopterous pests of stored products and fi eld crops in different parts of the world. Three multiplex PCR sets were optimised and characterised across 46 H. hebetor specimens from two samples collected from millet fi elds in Niger. Two to 11 alleles were found per locus and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.289 to 0.826. Polymorphism was detected in both samples with a similar level of observed heterozygosity (0.482 vs. 0.502) and number of alleles (4.1 vs. 3.6). Deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was detected at the same fi ve loci in both samples and fi ve or seven more loci in each sample but was not associated with heterozygote defi ciencies. Even though evidence for linkage disequilibrium was found between a few alleles, these new loci segregated independently. The variability of the 22 loci will enable estimates of genetic diversity and structure patterns, as well as gene fl ow between H. hebetor populations at different spatial scales. Cross-species amplifi cations were successful among the six Bracon spp. tested and nine loci will be particularly appropriate for population genetic studies in B. brevicornis. * Corresponding author; e-mails: [email protected], [email protected] INTRODUCTION Habrobracon hebetor (Say) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a well-known gregarious ectoparasitoid of the larvae of a wide range of economically important moths that infest stored grains, nuts, and fruits as well as fi eld crops in various parts of the world. This parasitoid is considered to be one of the most promising biological control (BC) agents for many stored-product pests, including the Indian meal moth Plodia interpunctella (Hübner), the Mediterranean fl our moth, Ephestia kuehniella (Zeller), the rice moth Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton), the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella L., the cotton bollworm Helicorverpa armigera (Hübner), and also the millet head miner, Heliocheilus albipunctella (de Joannis), thanks to its cosmopolitan distribution and ability to regulate populations of many destructive moth pests of stored-food commodities (Payne et al., 2011; Adarkwah et al., 2014; Ba et al., 2014; Ghimire & Philipps, 2014). The parasitoid is sold commercially as a biological control agent, whilst because it can easily be mass reared, indigenous populations have also been reared and released in the fi eld or in storage for effecEur. J. Entomol. 113: 265–269, 2016 doi: 10.14411/eje.2016.031