Measuring the lesser weevil: Comparative genomics and demography of the boll weevil complex

The boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman, is a destructive pest of commercial cotton in the southern US and Mexico. Current US eradication programs monitor for boll weevil presence using pheromone-baited traps and subsequently determine the need for remedial action (i.e., pesticide treatment) on trap captures. Although the trap is specifically designed for boll weevil, closely related non-pest weevils are commonly captured in these traps, which also necessitates pesticide application despite these insects having no impact on cotton yield. One of the most difficult weevils to distinguish from boll weevil is the non-pest subspecies, thurberia weevil, Anthonomus grandis thurberiae Boheman. These subspecies are sympatric and morphologically very similar, thus difficult to distinguish without a time-intensive lab assay. Here, we provide whole genome sequence data of these subspecies and identify descriptive differences that can be used to develop a test for growers to qualitatively distinguish these insects in the field. We also incorporate population level resequencing data from five distinct localities in order to estimate demographic history and provide insight into range expansion and invasion genetics.