Phylogeography of Dendrolimus punctatus (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae): Population differentiation and last glacial maximum survival

Abstract Although the Masson pine moth, Dendrolimus punctatus, is one of the most destructive forest pest insects and is an endemic condition in China, we still do not fully understand the patterns of how its distribution range varies in response to Quaternary climatic oscillations. Here, we sequenced one maternally inherited mitochondrial gene (COI) and biparentally inherited nuclear data (ITS1 and ITS2) among 23 natural populations across the entire range of the species in China. A total of 51 mitotypes and 38 ribotypes were separately obtained using mtDNA and ITS1 data. Furthermore, significant phylogeographical structure (NST > GST, p