Taxonomic Revision of Tribe Aleurocanthini Takahashi 1954 stat. rev. Using Consortium Gene Analysis (Mito-Nuclear-Primary Endosymbiont) with the First Evidence for Mitochondrial Recombination in Whitefly (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

The discovery of the Aleurocanthus cf. Aleurocanthus spiniferus (Tea spiny whitefly spiniferus morphotype; previously found in Tokyo) for the first time in Shizuoka Prefecture raised the possibility that this species had invaded Honshu Island, Japan. Unlike the allied species, Aleurocanthus spiniferus and A. camelliae, which have been intercepted from China to Japan, the origin of the current species remains unclear. Despite the status of this species as a minor pest on the ornamental plant, Eurya japonica, the cryptic diversity among the black spiny whitefly is fascinating to be elucidated, specifically how the primary endosymbiont of whiteflies, Portiera aleyrodidarum, coevolved and contributed to the classification of whiteflies. The current study examines the taxonomic status of five species of whiteflies, i.e., A. spiniferus (Quaintance), Aleurocanthus aff. A. camelliae, Aleurocanthus cf. A. spiniferus, A. camelliae Kanmiya and Kasai, Aleurotrachelus camelliae Kuwana, and A. ishigakiensis Takahashi. Using consortium molecular typing targeting mitochondrial DNA (COI and 16S of mitoribosome), the nuclear gene (ITS1), and the ribosomal gene of Portiera, the phylogenetic clustering analysis has been conducted and revealed that the genus Aleurotrachelus sensu lato was clustered together with Aleurocanthini Takahashi, 1954 stat. rev. and reinstated Crenidorsum ishigakiensis comb. nov. due to crescent-shaped scallops being clearly defined. The current study also unveiled several putative species in the A. spiniferus species complex, molecularly. In addition, the recombination event was not detected in Portiera but has been detected in the mtCOI genes of the A. spiniferus cryptic species and the A. woglumi sequences deposited in the NCBI database. The mitochondrial recombination gives an insight into the speciation process among this species complex.