Divergence in host specificity and genetics among populations of Aphelinus certus

These are data on variation in host specificity and genetics among 16 populations of an aphid parasitoid, Aphelinus certus, 15 from Asia and one from North America. Host range was the same for all the parasitoid populations, but levels of parasitism varied among aphid species, suggesting adaptation to locally abundant aphids. Differences in host specificity did not correlate with geographical distances among parasitoid populations, suggesting that local adaption is mosaic rather than clinal, with a spatial scale of less than 50 kilometers. Analysis of reduced representation libraries for each population showed genetic differentiation among them. Differences in host specificity correlated with genetic distances among the parasitoid populations.