Molecular identification, phylogeny and haplo-type composition of grapevine-associated soft scale insects (Hemiptera Coccidae) in Serbia

Abstract

Soft scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) are important grapevine pests causing direct damage by phloem sap feeding and indirect damage by promoting sooty molds growth and virus transmission. Accurate and rapid identification is critical for effective management but remains challenging due to reliance on morphological features of briefly available young, unsclerotized females. To address these limitations, two gene regions, mito-chondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and large ribosomal subunit (28S), were used to characterize Parthenoleca-nium corni (Bouché), Parthenolecanium persicae (Fabricius) and Pulvinaria vitis (L.) collected from vineyards, while phylogenetic analysis provided insights into their genetic relationships within Coccidae. Haplotype analysis based on COI and 28S regions revealed no genetic variability in P. corni and P. persicae, each represented by a single haplotype. In contrast, P. vitis exhibited higher diversity, with three 28S haplotypes and 14 COI haplotypes. By generating the first genetic data for these species from European populations, this study strengthens the molec-ular identification of soft scale insects and provides a valuable foundation for their monitoring, as well as future taxonomic and ecological research.

Key Words: COI, 28S, haplotypes, Parthenolecanium, Pulvinaria, genetic diversity