Erythrina Borer Genome sequencing

During the last 10 years, the Erythrina Stem Borer, Terastia meticulosalis, emerged as a pest of cultivated Coral Trees (genus Erythrina) in California. Erythrina trees are valued for their drought resistance and beautiful flame-like flowers and are considered, for example, Los Angeles official "City Trees". Thus they are a valuable horticultural crop, and their seedlings are grown by many nurseries in California, that have been heavily affected by T. meticulosalis recently. Using whole genome sequencing techniques, we analyzed the origins of this and other infestations of Californian coastal Erythrina and found that they have likely originated from the repeated expansions of the native range of the species in Arizona. The process is likely driven by the climatic factors. We also found sufficient genetic differences between the western population of the moth and the rest of the New World populations to describe a new western subspecies, Terastia meticulosalis occidentalis Sourakov & Grishin ssp. n. (type locality USA: CA, San Diego Co., La Jolla). These findings are of economic importance for the future attempts to control the moth's impact on activities surrounding horticultural use of Erythrina spp. by the Californian landscaping industry.