The polyphagous Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) causes significant agricultural losses worldwide. This pest has recently expanded its range into South America. Since its first report in north-western Argentina, H. armigera has already been detected in geographically distant locations within the country. In this work, mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and cytochrome b (Cytb) sequences obtained from H. armigera individuals collected in central and northern Argentina were analyzed to explore genetic variability. Five COI haplotypes and three Cytb haplotypes were detected among ten sequenced specimens (seven haplotypes if considering concatenated sequences). Thus, even with a limited number of samples, a high number of haplotypes was found, suggesting the occurrence of several female founder lineages of H. armigera in the country. With one exception, these mtDNA haplotypes were shared with H. armigera specimens from the neighboring countries of Brazil, Paraguay and/or Uruguay. However, the impact of natural migration and intercontinental agricultural trade on the establishment and spread of H. armigera in Argentina and other Latin-American countries is still a matter of research.

中文翻译：

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阿根廷入侵性害虫棉铃虫存在多个母系谱系的证据

杂食性棉铃虫（鳞翅目：夜蛾科）在全世界造成重大农业损失。这种害虫最近已将其范围扩大到南美洲。自从在阿根廷西北部首次报告以来，已经在该国地理上较远的地方发现了棉铃虫。在这项工作中，分析了从阿根廷中部和北部收集的棉铃虫个体中获得的线粒体细胞色素 c 氧化酶亚基 I (COI) 和细胞色素 b (Cytb) 序列，以探索遗传变异性。在十个测序样本中检测到五个 COI 单倍型和三个 Cytb 单倍型（如果考虑串联序列，则为七个单倍型）。因此，即使样本数量有限，也发现了大量的单倍型，这表明 H. 在该国的armigera。除了一个例外，这些 mtDNA 单倍型与来自邻国巴西、巴拉圭和/或乌拉圭的棉铃虫标本共享。然而，自然迁徙和洲际农业贸易对阿根廷和其他拉美国家棉铃虫的建立和传播的影响仍有待研究。