MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF DIURAPHIS SPP (HOMOPTERA, APHIDIDAE) USING RANDOM AMPLIFIED POLYMORPHIC DNA

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (''RAPD'') markers were used to characterize DNA of ten Diuraphis noxia (Kurdjumov) clones from seven countries. Comparison was made between these and DNA from two clones of D. mexicana (Baker) from Mexico and one clone of D. tritici (Gillette) from the USA. Amplified DNA fragments generated by 18 random decamer primers indicated that there were a few differences between the D. noxia clone from Syria and those from the other locations. There were no differences between the RAPD patterns for the two D. mexicana clones. The DNA fingerprints of the three Diuraphis species were distinct although some bands were common to the three species. Diuraphis noxia appears to exist as a single clone in Mexico, Chile, the USA, Canada, France and South Africa, while the Syrian clone may differ slightly from the other D. noxia clones. This knowledge may facilitate selection for host-plant resistance.