Genomic comparison of the sister species V. destructor and V. jacobsoni mite

Since the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor made the host switch from Asian honey bee to the Western honey bee, it has successfully spread almost worldwide and is considered as the most damaging pest to beekeeping. The sister species Varroa jacobsoni was found to have also recently jumped host and could represent an additional threat. This project compares the genome of varroa mite samples collected from their original (Apis cerana) and the new host (Apis mellifera) in Asia and Oceania. The goal is to understand what drove these successful host switches for both mites species. For that, genome sequencing and de novo assembly for V. destructor and V. jacobsoni were necessary to 1) identify genetic mechanisms associated with the host switches by the mites and 2) determine what genes were under selection after the host switch.