Genetic variation in ecoraces of tropical tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta D. using RFLF technique

Antheraea mylitta produces tasar silk and is an endemic species of the Indian subcontinent. Populations of this species show a certain degree of phenotypic variability for which they are designated as 'ecoraces'. In order to study the genetic variability and phylogenetic relationship among the different ecoraces, we have cloned and characterized a 281 bp MboI genomic DNA fragment, which has 75% identity at amino acid level with the 'reverse transcriptase' domain of TED retrotransposon of the lepidopteran insect, Trichoplusia ni. PCR-amplified MboI fragment from different ecoraces showed 99-100% sequence identity at nucleotide level. However, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) studies using this MboI fragment as probe have shown polymorphic pattern among the ecoraces. Phylogenetic relationships of different ecoraces obtained on the basis of RFLP pattern support the phenotypic and geographical relations.