Intra- and interspecific DNA variation in a sodium channel intron in Spodoptera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Evolutionary relationships of 7 species of Spodoptera (Guenee) and the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), are addressed using sequence data from a sodium channel para locus intron. Parsimony analysis of Spodoptera species produced an evolutionary tree that was consistent with morphological and mitochondrial ribosomal DNA data. Genetic differentiation in the Spodoptera frugiperda para locus was not consistent with patterns observed in mitochondrial DNA or allozymes. Results suggest that the sodium channel para locus may be useful for low-level phylogenetic analysis.