Genetic analysis and molecular phylogeny of leafhopper Batracomorphus signatus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) from Egypt

Abstract

Classic identification of leafhoppers is based only on the morphology of male genitalia. However, genetic analysis and molecular phylogeny are effective tools to identify different leafhopper species in any stage of their life cycle and to study the evolution of any species to estimate its phylogenetic relationships at different taxonomic levels. The mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene (mtCOI) region has been the source of DNA sequence data frequently used to infer evolutionary relationships among insects at various taxonomic levels. The current work explores the molecular evolution of the leafhopper Batracomorphus signatus Lindberg (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) and its applicability in reconstructing phylogenetic connections within and among the leafhopper species by using the COX gene and 28SrDNA (NCBI accession No. LC775122.1 and LC670604.1, respectively.