First report of the Sub-Saharan Africa 2 species of the Bemisia tabaci complex in the Southern France

An extensive survey was conducted in the major crop producing regions of France, Spain, Greece, Tunisia and Morocco from 2003 to 2010, to determine the geographical distribution of the Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) complex in the Mediterranean basin. Based on diagnostic and highly discriminatory molecular markers (mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I, COI, gene sequences and nuclear microsatellites) and multiple complementary genetic diagnostic approaches including population assignment and phylogenetic reconstruction, the two worldwide invasive members of the complex, Med and MEAM1 species, were shown to be present, with Med being the most prevalent. In addition, the sub-Saharan Africa 2 (SSA2) species was, for the first time, reported in Southern France in 2007 on soybean and nightshade either alone or in sympatry with B. tabaci populations of the middle-eastern Mediterranean group (i.e., Q2 Med). This first occurrence of SSA2 in France, although detected in a relatively small area illustrates the capacity of multiple members of the B. tabaci complex to invade new regions, and emphasizes the possible risk caused by the entry of a new species, such as the SSA2 species, in the Mediterranean area.