Mitochondrial DNA variation and structure among North American populations of Megaselia scalaris

Abstract

The scuttle fly Megaselia scalaris is a pest species whose larvae consume living or dead plant or animal tissue, and parasitize humans. Although known to exist on most continents, often transported passively with humans, the connectivity between populations has not been investigated. We use mitochondrial cytochrome B sequences to investigate structure among North American isolates of this species. Despite small sample sizes, we detected statistically significant structure among populations. This finding suggests that local measures may be effective in controlling this pest species.