Complete Nucleotide Sequence of the Mitochondrial DNA of <i>Halyomorpha halys</i>(Stal) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Specimens Collected Across Georgia

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stal) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an invasive species native to East Asia that has spread across Asia, Europe, and North America. H. halys causes damages to various grains, fruits, and vegetables, which is exemplified by the significant damage to the hazelnut harvest in Georgia (during 2016). This report describes the first attempted genetic study of the spread of H. halys in Georgia. The first main goal of this research was to identify the haplotype of an invasive population in Georgia. For this purpose, the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I subunit (COI) gene fragment from 65 samples of H. halys collected from different regions across Georgia was sequenced on an Applied Biosystems 3100 or 3700 genetic analyzer. In all cases, only the H1 haplotype, which is native to China, was identified. The second goal of this research was to determine the complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of H. halys (Stal) specimens collected across Georgia. The complete mitochondrial DNA of H1 haplotype sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq platform. The mitochondrial DNA of the Georgian H1 haplotype has a length of 15,478 base pairs. Using the sequence of the H22 haplotype of H. halys (native to Korea) as a reference, 62 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), three inversions, and four single T insertions were identified. Furthermore, 60 SNPs and four insertions in two tRNA and one rRNA genes were identified among 18 mitochondrial genes from the Georgian H1 haplotype. Nine of these SNPs resulted in amino acid substitutions. Furthermore, the detection of SNPs revealed many other polymorphic sites beyond the COI gene, which can be used to detect new haplotypes.