Coccinella septempunctata

Coccinella septempunctata (C7) is an excellent organism for both basic and applied research. The biology of C7 is better understood than any other coccinellid. C7 has been highly amenable to both field and laboratory research in population ecology1, reproductive biology2,3,4, aposematism5 , and chemical ecology6,7. C7 is a successfully introduced biological control agent for management of agricultural pests including aphids, white flies, and scale insects8 , but it has become invasive and is displacing native species in parts of its range1. As a member of Coleoptera, which contains more species than any other order of animals (about 25% of all life forms), C7 would add to our understanding of phylogenetic relationships especially among insects and beetles. Currently only a single species of Coleoptera (Tribolium castaneum) has been fully sequenced9.

Feasibility Genome size of C7 is 322 MB10. Many samples are readily available, and an inbreed strain is under development at University of Kentucky. Genomic resources include 65,000 SNPs identified by Restriction Associated DNA11. O’Neill has experience with bioinformatics tools and is prepared to conduct genome assembly and annotation.

Impact C7 plays an important role in the ecosystem as a top predator of the aphidophagus guild12. Currently, this species is widely distributed across many different ecosystems and communities in both native and introduced ranges13. Genomic data will be crucial to study how major environmental factors associated with this wide distribution, (e.g., temperature) affect selection, and potentially drive large-scale patterns of adaptation. The introduction history is one of the best characterized of any invasive species14,15, making C7 a potential model system for elucidating the relationships between propagule pressure, genomic diversity, and natural selection in successful introductions. Understanding these relationships is important for both basic research on invasive species, including interactions with native species that are being displaced and for the management of biological control agents in general1,4. For these reasons, obtaining a full genome from C7 would likely yield many benefits to both basic research on invasive species and applied research for biological control. C7 is an extremely tractable laboratory organism with an active research community. Therefore, information from the genome sequence will immediately be utilized in population genetic and ecological genetic studies.

Contact Individuals Eric M. O’Neill, Department of Biology, University of Kentucky Yukie Kajita, Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky

Citations 1Evans 2000 Eur J Entomol 97:469–474 2Hodek and Honek 1996 Kluwer Academic Pub, Dordrecht 3Kajita and Evans 2009 Physiol Entomol 34:185–194 4Kajita and Evans 2010 Biol Invasions 12:2293–2302 5Marples et al 1994 Anim Behav 48:967–974 6Sloggett et al 2009 Func Ecol 23:416–426 7Kajita et al 2010 Oecologia 163:313–322 8Obrycki and Kring 1998 Ann Rev Entomol 43:295–321 9Muzny et al. 2008 Nature 452:949–955 10Gregory et al. 2003 Hereditas 139:121–127 11O’Neill et al. in prep for Mol Ecol 12Dixon 2000 Cambridge Univ Press, Cambridge 13Krafsur et al. 2005 Eur J Entomol 102:469–474 14Angalet et al 1979 Environ Entomol 8:896–901