A multiplex polymerase chain reaction based method for rapid identification of two species of the genus Scolytus Geoffroy (Col: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in Iran

Molecular identification is going to be more widespread in taxonomic studies of insects when traditional tools are problematic and time consuming. Identification of bark beetles, as one of the most important pests of forests, based on morphological characteristics is difficult because of their small size and morphological similarities. In the current study, species-specific primers were desi gned to identify two most abundant and morphologically similar bark beetle species Scolytus ensifer Eichhoff 1881 and S. ecksteini Butovitsch 1929, both found on Ulmus minor Miller in north of Iran. These species-specific primers successfully produced a fragment size with 318 bp and 465 bp of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (CO1) gene in S. ensifer and S. ecksteini respectively. The results revealed tha t the multiplex polymerase chain reaction using the species-specific primers could amplify a unique band to distinguish these two species so confirmed this method as a convenient and quick tool to identify those two bark beetle species.