A formal re-description of the cockroach Hebardina concinna anchored on DNA Barcodes confirms wing polymorphism and identifies morphological characters for field identification.

Deyi Qiu,Qiaoyun Yue,Le Kang,Dexing Liu,Xiaoya Wei,Charles E. Cook,Jia Hu,Keliang Wu,Jian Chen

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0106789

Abstract

Background Hebardina concinna is a domestic pest and potential vector of pathogens throughout East and Southeast Asia, yet identification of this species has been difficult due to a lack of diagnostic morphological characters, and to uncertainty in the relationship between macroptyrous (long-winged) and brachypterous (small-winged) morphotypes. In insects male genital structures are typically species-specific and are frequently used to identify species. However, male genital structures in H. concinna had not previously been described, in part due to difficulty in identifying conspecifics.Methods/Principal FindingsWe collected 15 putative H. concinna individuals, from Chinese populations, of both wing morphotypes and both sexes and then generated mitochondrial COI (the standard barcode region) and COII sequences from five of these individuals. These confirmed that both morphotypes of both sexes are the same species. We then dissected male genitalia and compared genital structures from macropterous and brachypterous individuals, which we showed to be identical, and present here for the first time a detailed description of H. concinna male genital structures. We also present a complete re-description of the morphological characters of this species, including both wing morphs.Conclusions/SignificanceThis work describes a practical application of DNA barcoding to confirm that putatively polymorphic insects are conspecific and then to identify species-specific characters that can be used in the field to identify individuals and to obviate the delay and cost of returning samples to a laboratory for DNA sequencing.

Highlights

The Blattaria are a diverse order of some 4000– 4,500 species, the majority of them denizens of tropical forests, but about 40–50 of all the known cockroach species are important domiciliary pests or house frequenting dwellers [1,2]
H. concinna is found in human dwellings and is believed to be a primary house pest [1], and could potentially transmit disease to humans; monitoring populations of this cockroach and identifying individuals within human dwellings is relevant for public health
Wing polymorphism exists in many insects, including the Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Orthoptera, Lepidoptera, and Thysanoptera

Summary

Introduction

The Blattaria (cockroaches) are a diverse order of some 4000– 4,500 species, the majority of them denizens of tropical forests, but about 40–50 of all the known cockroach species are important domiciliary pests or house frequenting dwellers [1,2]. They carry numerous pathogens and could potentially transmit disease to humans [2,3,4,5]. Male genital structures in H. concinna had not previously been described, in part due to difficulty in identifying conspecifics

Methods

Results

Conclusion