Molecular Identification of Adoxophyes orana complex (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Korea and Japan

Species identification in the Adoxophyes orana complex has historically posed a problem, due to marked morphological similarities among the members. Although pheromonal studies have often been suggested as a better indicator for ecological distinctions among species than morphological similarities, no molecular proof has yet been provided in this regard. Here, we have sequenced the COI barcoding region (~ 660 bp) as well as another COI region (~ 940 bp) and 18S rDNA (~ (~ 1820 bp) for species in Korea and Japan. We determined that the specimens recently collected in Korea were A. orana, which is identical to the Japanese A. orana fasciata; the Korean A. honmai is identical to the Japanese A. honmai; the Korean Adoxophyes sp., which has previously been identified as A. orana in Korea, is not actually A. orana but a third, possibly new, species; and the Japanese A. dubia is identical to A. honmai in Japan and A. honmai in Korea. p-distances among the species and their phylogenetic trees are also provided herein.