Molecular Identification of Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) From Frass by Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification

Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky, 1853), native to eastern Asia, is a destructive woodborer of manyornamental species, leading to the decline and the death of the attacked trees. In outbreak areas as Europe orNorth America, this pest is usually identified using morphological or molecular analyses of adult or larval specimens.However, the procedures for collecting A. glabripennis specimens from infested plants are too expensiveand time consuming for routine screening. A noninvasive diagnostic tool based on frass discrimination istherefore crucial for the rapid identification of A. glabripennis at different development stages in the host. Thisarticle describes a rapid diagnostic protocol based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). DNAextracted from A. glabripennis frass was amplified with both visual and real-time LAMP and compared withthose of nontarget species. The results show that the method is reliable and accurate and therefore could be apromising diagnostic tool in phytosanitary surveys.