Molecular Identification of Sugarcane Borers Based on Cytochrome Oxidase I in South-central Region of Tamaulipas, Mxico

Three sugarcane borer species at three locations in the South-central region of Tamaulipas State, Mexico, were identified by sequencing the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene, two species of Pyralidae Latreille, 1802: Diatraea saccharalis Fabricius, 1794 and D. considerata Heinrich, 1931 and one species from Crambidae Latreille, 1810, Eoreuma loftini Dyar, 1917. The nucleotide sequences in GenBank had similarity with D. saccharalis of 95%, D. considerata of 95%, and E. loftini of 96%. Maximum-likelihood analysis showed the proximity of D. saccharalis was 98%, D. considerata 99.5%, and E. loftini 99.5% to those in GenBank, which provides greater precision for identifying the specimens. D. considerata is reported for the first time in the South-central region of Tamaulipas State, Mexico using sequencing of its genome.