Population structure of the pecan nut casebearer Acrobasis nuxvorella throughout its geographical distribution

• 1 The pecan nut casebearer Acrobasis nuxvorella Neunzig (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is an important, monophagous pest of pecan Carya illinoinensis (Fagales: Juglandaceae).
• 2 This pest is native from Louisiana west to the eastern edge of New Mexico and north to Illinois in the U.S.A. and as far west as Chihuahua and south to Oaxaca in Mexico.
• 3 Recently, this pest has expanded beyond the native range of pecan into regions where pecan has been introduced for cultivation.
• 4 Amplified fragment length polymorphism markers were used to determine the population genetic structure of this insect pest across its current geographical distribution.
• 5 Population genetic analyses indicate a great degree of genetic structure in the pecan nut casebearer across its geographical distribution, with genetically distinct populations occurring in those areas where the pecan nut casebearer is not native but has been invasive.