Mitochondrial DNA variation in North American oedipodinae

Restriction fragment analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was used to examine genetic variation and population structure in 13 species of banded-winged grasshoppers (subfamily Oedipodinae). Total DNA of 246 individuals was digested with 11 restriction enzymes and probed with three cloned EcoRI fragments representing the entire mitochondrial genome of Melanoplus sanguinipes. On average, members of this subfamily were five times more variable than those in another subfamily, Melanoplinae, previously examined. This would appear to lend support to Vickery's claim that the time of origin of Nearctic oedipodines is more ancient than that of melanoplines. With respect to population structure, a few different patterns were exhibited. Species such as Camnula pellucida had populations containing a mixture of haplotypes, some widespread and some geographically restricted. In contrast, Chortophaga viridifasciata populations were characterized by unique assemblages of diverse haplotypes. Phylogeographic hypotheses are advanced to account for these observations.