Molecular identification and phylogenetic characterization of the fig bud mite Aceria ficus (Acari: Eriophyidae) from Iraq using mitochondrial COI sequences

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Environment, College of Environmental Sciences, University Al-Qasim Green, Babylon, Iraq

2 Department of Plant Protection, College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq

10.22103/jab.2026.27259.1921

Abstract

Objective
Aceria ficus (Acari: Eriophyidae), is one of the minute microscopic pests that feed on plant tissues and are characterized by their high specialization and environmental sensitivity. This group is considered among the mite types whose classification is regarded as a challenge because of the great morphological similarity among closely related species, which makes traditional diagnosis ineffective when using morphological traits alone. This study aimed to molecularly identify Aceria ficus collected from Iraqi fig orchards using the mitochondrial COI gene, compare the obtained sequences with available GenBank records, and infer their phylogenetic relationships
Materials and methods
During the 2024-2025 seasons, a survey of several fig orchards was conducted in Baghdad (Abu Ghraib) and Babil Province (Al-Kifl and Al-Siyahi) to collect mite samples. Following rigorous morphological identification of the specimens as Aceria ficus, genetic and phylogenetic analyses were performed using the Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) marker.
Results
BLASTn analysis of the amplified COI fragments, utilizing LCO1490/HCO2198 primers, revealed a maximum sequence identity of 82% with Aceria microcis. The relatively low sequence identity (82%) does not provide definitive species-level identification. Instead, it reflects the absence of authenticated COI sequences of Aceria ficus in GenBank. Therefore, species identification relied on the combination of morphological examination and molecular phylogenetic analysis. Consequently, the nucleotide sequences obtained in this study represent the first publicly available COI sequences of Aceria ficus deposited in GenBank under accession numbers PV123164-PV123173. Genetic relatedness analysis using MEGA 12 and the Neighbor-Joining (NJ) method placed all nucleotide sequences of the CO1 region from the identified Aceria ficus samples in a single cluster, separate from other species, confirming their belonging to the same species
Conclusion
Neighbor-Joining (NJ) phylogenetic analysis conducted in MEGA12 grouped all sequenced samples into a single, highly supported clade, formed a distinct clade separated from the reference sequences included in the present analysis, further corroborating the molecular distinctiveness of the identified populations.

Keywords

References

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Agricultural Biotechnology Journal

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 14 July 2026

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