Nysius species fauna and a geometric morphometric variation study in three geographical populations of Nysius cymoides (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) on canola in Iran.

Nysius species fauna and a geometric morphometric variation study in three geographical populations of Nysius cymoides (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) on canola in Iran Because of the oil self sufficiency programs in Iran, oil seeds have been put in the centre of attention during the last years. Therefore a project was designated on the development of oil seed production with especial emphasis on canola. Canola is damaged by some plant pathogens and insect pests including Nysius species belonging to the family Lygaeidae. To present a practical plan for management of the insect pests, a precise identification is needed. Therefore Nysius specimens on canola in main growing areas were collected. The specimens of the genus deposited in the Hayk Mirzayans Insect Collection, (HMIM) in Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection were also identified. Finally, five species were identified including Nysisus cymoides (Spinola, 1837), N. ericae ericae (Schilling, 1829), N. graminicola graminicola (Kolenati, 1854), N. helveticus (H.-S., 1850), and N. senecionis (Schilling, 1829). Among the above mentioned species only the former species was found on canola. Another species in HMIM belong to the genus Paranysius, P. fallaciosus fallaciosus, was also identified. Moreover morphological variation in three populations of Nysius cymoides, was investigated. The populations were sampled from canola growing areas of Golaestan, Mazandaran and Isfahan provinces. Six landmarks on the membranous part of fore wing were selected and their variation was analyzed. Raw data were analyzed using geometric and mathematical calculations in a Kendall's shape space. Multivariate analysis was carried out by transforming data to Tangent Space. One hundred twenty two images of front wing and partial warp scores were analyzed by partial warp analysis, cluster analysis, canonical discriminant function , and canonical variate analysis. The results showed a significant morphometric difference between Mazandaran and Golestan populations. The Isfahan populations lied between the two above mentioned ones. The result could be used, as a prerequisite for any further study of the pest biology and obtaining a thorough understanding of its behavior under different climatic conditions.