Dominant and recessive inheritance patterns of diapause in the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae

In this study, we investigated the diapause incidence in 3 geographic strains of the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae). Under diapause-inducing conditions of 12:12 light:dark at 15 degrees C, the diapause incidence was nearly 100% in a strain from northern Japan (Sapporo), whereas it was nearly 0% in 2 strains from southern Japan (Itoman and Takanabe). Reciprocal crosses clearly showed that the nondiapause phenotype is inherited in a completely dominant manner, and no maternal effect was detected. Backcrosses to the Itoman and Takanabe strains suggested that dominant nondiapause alleles control the nondiapause phenotype. To clarify the genetic basis of nondiapause in the northern population, we also established a nondiapausing variant ("selected nondiapause" abbreviated as snd) from the Sapporo strain. Crossing experiments revealed that a single recessive allele is responsible for the nondiapause phenotype. Thus, both dominant and recessive inheritance patterns of diapause were detected in the T. urticae populations studied here.