The Bemisia tabaci Species Complex: Questions to Guide Future Research

Since 2007 we have began to consider the relationships between the different members of the Bemisia tabaci species complex in a more structured and systematic way. Much of these relationships has been infered from considerations of a portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase one (mtCOI) gene. While this is a quite limited approach which would benefit from the consideration of a much greater diversity of genetic material, it is the only publically available data that spans the diversity of the species complex. Despite the limitations, the phylogenetic reconstruction that can be derived from this data is useful and can be used as a basis to frame questions and construct testable hypotheses that will form the basis for future research. This study uses the largest available mtCOI dataset, consisting of 383 unique mtCOI haplotypes that spans the full diversity of the B. tabaci species complex as we currently know it, to make a range of observations which are then used to develop questions as guide for future research.