Data from: Introgression between divergent corn borer species in a region of sympatry: implications on the evolution and adaptation of pest arthropods

The Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis, and European corn borer, O.
nubilalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), cause damage to cultivated maize in
spatially distinct geographies, and have evolved divergent hydrocarbons as
the basis of sexual communication. The Yili area of Xinjiang Uyghur
Autonomous Region in China represents the only known region where O.
furnacalis has invaded a native O. nubilalis range, and these two corn
borer species have made secondary contact. Genetic differentiation was
estimated between Ostrinia larvae collected from maize plants at 11
locations in Xinjiang Province, and genotyped using high throughput SNP
and microsatellite markers. Maternal lineages were assessed by direct
sequencing of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and II
haplotypes, and a high degree of genotypic diversity was demonstrated
between lineages based on SNP genotypes. Furthermore, historical
introgression was predicted among SNP genotypes only at sympatric
locations in the Yili area, whereas in Xinjiang populations wherein only
O. furnacalis haplotypes were detected no analogous introgressed genotypes
were predicted. Our detection of putative hybrids and historical evidence
of introgression defines Yili area as a hybrid zone between the species in
normal ecological interactions, and furthermore might indicate that
adaptive traits could spread even between seemingly divergent species
through horizontal transmission. Results of this study indicate there may
be a continuum in the degree of reproductive isolation between Ostrinia
species, and that the elegance of distinct and complete speciation based
on modifications to the pheromone communication might need to be
reconsidered.