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Population genetics is a convenient tool to study the population biology of non‐model and hard to sample species. This is particularly true for parasites and vectors. Heterozygote deficits and/or linkage disequilibrium often occur in such studies and detecting the origin of those (Wahlund effect, reproductive system or amplification problems) is uneasy. We used new tools (correlation between the number of times a locus is found in significant linkage disequilibrium and its genetic diversity, correlations between Wright's FIS and FST, FIS and number of missing data, FIT and allele size and standard errors comparisons) for the first time on a real data set of tsetse flies, a vector of dangerous diseases to humans and domestic animals in sub‐Saharan Africa. With these new tools, and cleaning data from null allele, temporal heterogeneity and short allele dominance effects, we unveiled the coexistence of two highly divergent cryptic clades in the same sites. These results are in line with other studies suggesting that the biodiversity of many taxa still largely remain undescribed, in particular pathogenic agents and their vectors. Our results also advocate that including individuals from different cohorts tends to bias subdivision measures and that keeping loci with short allele dominance and/or too frequent missing data seriously jeopardize parameter's estimations. Finally, separated analyses of the two clades suggest very small tsetse densities and relatively large dispersal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tsetse flies (Diptera: Glossinidae) are sole vectors for trypanosomiasis, which affect human health and livestock productivity in Africa. Little is known about the genetic diversity of Glossina fuscipes fuscipes, which is an important species in Tanzania and Kenya. The main objective of the study was to provide baseline data to determine the genetic variability and divergence of G. f. fuscipes in the Lake Victoria basin of Tanzania and Kenya in order to guide future vector control efforts in the region. Findings: Two hundred and seventy five G. f. fuscipes from 8 sites along the shores of Lake Victoria were screened for genetic polymorphisms at 19 microsatellite loci. Samples were collected from two sites in Kenya and six sites in Tanzania. Four of the Tanzanian sites were located in the Rorya district, on the eastern shores of Lake Victoria, while the other two sites were from Ukerewe and Bukoba districts from the southern and western Lake Victoria shores, respectively. Four genetically distinct allopatric clusters were revealed by microsatellite analysis, which sorted the sampling sites according to geography, with sites separated by as little as ~65 km belonging to distinct genetic clusters, while samples located within ~35 km from each other group in the same cluster. Conclusion: Our results suggest that there is ongoing genetic admixture within sampling sites located ~35 km from each other, while sites located ~65 km apart are genetically isolated from each other. Similar patterns emerged from a parallel study on G. f. fuscipes analyzed from the Lake Victoria Uganda shores. From a control perspective these results suggest that for sites within the same genetic cluster, control efforts should be carried out in a coordinated fashion in order to avoid re-invasions. Future work should focus on better quantifying the extent and spatial patterns of the observed genetic discontinuities of the G. f. fuscipes populations along the Tanzanian shores. This will aid in their control by providing guidelines on the geographical extent of the area to be treated at the same time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]