Data from: Genetic structure and inferences on potential source areas for the invasive oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) based on mitochondrial and microsatellite markers

Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) is mainly distributed in
tropical and subtropical Asia and in the Pacific region. Despite its
economic importance, very few studies have addressed the question of the
wide genetic structure and potential source area of this species. This
pilot study attempts to infer the native region of this pest and its
colonization pathways in Asia. Combining mitochondrial and microsatellite
markers, we evaluated the level of genetic diversity, genetic structure,
and the gene flow among fly populations collected across Southeast Asia
and China. A complex and significant genetic structure corresponding to
the geographic pattern was found with both types of molecular markers.
However, the genetic structure found was rather weak in both cases, and no
pattern of isolation by distance was identified. Multiple long-distance
dispersal events and miscellaneous host selection by this species may
explain the results. These complex patterns may have been influenced by
human-mediated transportation of the pest from one area to another and the
complex topography of the study region. For both mitochondrial and
microsatellite data, no signs of bottleneck or founder events could be
identified. Nonetheless, maximal genetic diversity was observed in
Myanmar, Vietnam and Guangdong (China) and asymmetric migration patterns
were found. These results provide indirect evidence that the tropical
regions of Southeast Asia and southern coast of China may be considered as
the native range of the species and the population expansion is northward.
Yunnan (China) is a contact zone that has been colonized from different
sources. Regions along the southern coast of Vietnam and China probably
served to colonize mainly the southern region of China. Southern coastal
regions of China may also have colonized central parts of China and of
central Yunnan.