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Diversity of red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Oliv. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: studies on the phenotypic and DNA barcodes

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Abstract

The red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier), is the most deleterious pests of palms worldwide, including date palms in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). An understanding of RPW diversity is crucial for designing management strategies of this pest. In this study, collections of RPW from date palm plantations were made in six known RPW-infected regions of KSA. The main objectives of the study were to characterize the RPW diversity in KSA using pronotal markings and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. The results showed that based on pronotal markings, 18 different color morphs of RPWs were found, while based on the COI gene, it could be separated into three main haplotypes. Pronotal marking and COI gene diversity revealed that the Riyadh and Eastern Regions were the major RPW diversity hotspots and the primary sources for subsequent RPW introductions into other regions of KSA.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to extend their sincere appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University for its funding this Research group (No: RGP-1438-009). We thank Mr. Hani and Mr. Emad from Ministry of Agriculture Riyadh for their support for RPW collections. We thank King Saud Museum of Arthropods for providing space for studying specimens. Sri Wahyuningsih, Mr. Fuad Asnawi, and Shehzad Salman are thanked for their technical support during collections of RPW in KSA. Mr. Boris Kondratieff from Colorado State University USA is thanked for reviewing the English syntax.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Economic Entomology Research Unit, Plant Protection Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    Sukirno Sukirno, Muhammad Tufail, Khawaja Ghulam Rasool, Mureed Husain & Abdulrahman Saad Aldawood

  2. Entomology Laboratory, Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, 55281, Indonesia

    Sukirno Sukirno

  3. Organization of Advanced Science and Technology, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan

    Muhammad Tufail

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  1. Sukirno Sukirno
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  2. Muhammad Tufail
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  3. Khawaja Ghulam Rasool
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  4. Mureed Husain
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  5. Abdulrahman Saad Aldawood
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Correspondence to Sukirno Sukirno.

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Sukirno, S., Tufail, M., Rasool, K.G. et al. Diversity of red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Oliv. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: studies on the phenotypic and DNA barcodes. Int J Trop Insect Sci 40, 899–908 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-020-00148-1

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