Morphological and molecular characterization of Myzocallis coryli on Corylus avellana in Artvin (Türkiye)

Authors : Hayal Akyıldırım Beğen, Didem Tunalı

Pages : 52-63

Doi:10.38059/biodiversity.1841725

View : 95 | Download : 174

Publication Date : 2025-12-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study aims to identify aphid species observed on hazelnut (Corylus avellana) trees in Artvin and to characterize them at the molecular level. Field surveys conducted in the districts of Borçka, Kemalpaşa, Arhavi, and Hopa revealed that the species Myzocallis coryli was present in all regions at low densities , remaining well below the economic damage threshold. Molecular analyses using COI gene region with Neighbour Joining (NJ) methods demonstrated that the resulting tree topologies were consistent with one another and that species-level distinctions were clearly resolved. Individuals of M. coryli collected from different districts in Türkiye were included in the ML analysis together with reference sequences obtained from the GenBank database. Samples from Hopa, Arhavi, and Kemalpaşa clustered within the same clade as the reference sequences with high bootstrap support (99%), confirming that the specimens belong to the species M. coryli in accordance with morphological identifications. The close proximity of the three populations also indicates low intraspecific genetic variation among Turkish populations. The estimated crown age of Myzocallis is approximately 0.38–0.45 million years ago (Ma), indicating a relatively recent diversification during the Late Pleistocene.
Keywords : Artvin, Corylus avellana, fındık, Türkiye., Myzocallis coryli

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