Abstract
The ground beetle genusAgonumBonelli, 1810 is a large genus of the tribe Platynini with many species that show high amounts of intraspecific variations, making a correct identification challenging. As part of the German Barcode of Life initiative, this publication provides a comprehensive DNA barcode library for species ofAgonumthat are reported for Germany. In total, DNA barcodes from 258 beetles and 23 species were analysed using the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) workbench, including sequences from former studies and 68 newly-generated sequences. The neighbour-joining analyses, based on K2P distances, revealed distinct clustering for all studied species, with unique Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) for 15 species (65%). BIN sharing but distinct clustering was found for three species pairs:Agonum micans/Agonum scitulum,Agonum impressum/Agonum sexpunctatumandAgonum duftschmidi/Agonum emarginatum. The given dataset and its analysis represent another important step in generating a comprehensive DNA barcode library for the ground beetles of Germany and Central Europe in terms of modern biodiversity research.
Highlights
As part of the German Barcode of Life initiative, this publication provides a comprehensive DNA barcode library for species of Agonum that are reported for Germany
Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) sharing but distinct clustering was found for three species pairs: Agonum micans/Agonum scitulum, Agonum impressum/Agonum sexpunctatum and Agonum duftschmidi/Agonum emarginatum
In addition to various analytical tools implemented in the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) workbench, DNA barcodes can be analysed using the Barcode Index Number (BIN) system that clusters DNA barcodes to produce operational taxonomic units that closely correspond to species (Ratnasingham and Hebert 2013)
Summary
Species identification represents a pivotal component for biodiversity studies and conservation planning, but represents a challenge for many taxa when using morphological traits only (e.g. the correct identification of juveniles or larval stages). As a consequence of tremendous technological advances in molecular biology during the last 20 years, molecular data have become increasingly popular in species identification. In this context, DNA barcoding represents the central component in the modern diagnostic toolbox of molecular biodiversity assessment studies and taxonomic research (e.g. Hebert and Gregory 2005; Krees et al 2015; Hajibabaei et al 2016; Miller et al 2016). Barcode sequences are typically deposited in the international Barcode of Life Data Systems database (BOLD; http://www.boldsystems.org) This public database acts as the central core data interface and repository that allows researchers to collect, to organise and to analyse DNA barcode data (Ratnasingham and Hebert 2007). In addition to various analytical tools implemented in the BOLD workbench, DNA barcodes can be analysed using the Barcode Index Number (BIN) system that clusters DNA barcodes to produce operational taxonomic units that closely correspond to species (Ratnasingham and Hebert 2013)
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