Cross-species investigation of Helicoverpa armigera microsatellites as potential markers for other related species in the Helicoverpa - Heliothis complex

Primers previously designed to amplify microsatellite DNA markers in the Old World bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, larvae were tested in three closely related species: the corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea, tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens, and Heliothis subflexa. Of the fourteen loci surveyed, only four loci (HaB60, HaC14, HaC87, HarSSR1) consistently demonstrated scorable single-copy microsatellite bands. Of these four, length polymorphism was identified only in the HaB60 marker (160 bp, 140 bp) of the H. virescens and H. subflexa sampled laboratory populations. Partial DNA sequences of all the identified single-copy microsatellites are presented as well as alignments to their respective H. armigera microsatellite.