Molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis of termite species in Nanjing
SHI Tian
WANG Xinyi
HE Liwen
YE Jianling
JING Yufei
TANG Qing
GAO Jiangning
LIN Yan
Abstract：Objective To clarify the termite species and their phylogenetic status in Nanjing.Methods The mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit Ⅱ(COⅡ)genes of 28 termite populations from different geographical locations in Nanjing were cloned and sequenced.These sequences were aligned using the GenBank database for molecular identification,and a phylogenetic tree was constructed to clarify their phylogenetic relationships.Results Sequence analysis showed that all samples belong to 12 species across 5 genera(Reticulitermes,Coptotermes,Odontotermes,Pericapritermes and Incisitermes).The A+T content of the gene sequences was 63.20%,significantly higher than the G+C content(36.80%),demonstrating a strong AT preference.Genetic distance analysis revealed the inter-generic genetic distances ranged from 0.160 to 0.354,while intra-species distances ranged from 0 to 0.354.Phylogenetic analysis showed that Reticulitermes and Coptotermes clustered together,showing a closer evolutionary relationship within the family Rhinotermitidae,while Odontotermes and Pericapritermes formed a distinct clade within the family Termitidae.In contrast,Incisitermes was more distantly related to the other four genera.Conclusion The results of molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis were basically consistent with traditional morphological identification,providing strong evidence for scientific identification of termite species.
Keywords：termitesCOⅡ genemolecular identificationphylogenetic analysis
Publication Date：2025-08-20
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-29(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：6( 401-406 )