Abstract
Termites are eusocial insects with an economic impact where they cause a great loss in crops and man-made valued commodities and buildings. Rapid and accurate identification techniques of termite species are important step for management approaches. Termite identification based on morphological features is not reliable and could be misleading in many cases. In the current study, we planned to investigate the efficiency of three mitochondria' genes; mt12S rRNA, mtCOI and mtCOII in molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis of termites from Saudi Arabia. Partial sequences of mt12s rRNA and mtCOII were obtained from 10 populations of Anacanthotennes ochraceus, 10 populations of P sammotennes voeltzkowi and 10 populations of Microcerotermes arboreus. For the mtCOI, partial sequences were obtained from 10 populations of Anacanthotermes ochraceus and 10 populations of Microcerotermes arboreus.
Our sequence analysis revealed that mtCOII is evolving rapidly recording a large number of variable sites while mt12s rRNA is the most conserved. Intra-and interspecific variation varied between population of the same genus and among the three genera. Phylogenetic analysis showed the distribution of termite species based on their geographic region. Termite genera from Riyadh formed distinct clades. Populations of each genus formed different groups based on their intraspecific variations. The topology of 12s rRNA tree was more informative than those of mtCOI and mtCOII.