Abstract
BackgroundDNA barcoding, the analysis of sequence variation in the 5′ region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene, has been shown to provide an efficient method for the identification of species in a wide range of animal taxa. In order to assess the effectiveness of barcodes in the discrimination of Heteroptera, we examined 344 species belonging to 178 genera, drawn from specimens in the Canadian National Collection of Insects.Methodology/Principal FindingsAnalysis of the COI gene revealed less than 2% intra-specific divergence in 90% of the taxa examined, while minimum interspecific distances exceeded 3% in 77% of congeneric species pairs. Instances where barcodes fail to distinguish species represented clusters of morphologically similar species, except one case of barcode identity between species in different genera. Several instances of deep intraspecific divergence were detected suggesting possible cryptic species.Conclusions/SignificanceAlthough this analysis encompasses 0.8% of the described global fauna, our results indicate that DNA barcodes will aid the identification of Heteroptera. This advance will be useful in pest management, regulatory and environmental applications and will also reveal species that require further taxonomic research.
Highlights
The true bugs (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera) represent the largest group of hemimetabolous insects, with more than 42,000 described species in over 5800 genera and 140 families [1]
Memon et al [7] confirmed the usefulness of variation in c oxidase I (COI) sequences in circumscribing a new hemipteran species, but found broad overlap
COI barcodes for each species formed a distinct cluster divergences shown in Appendix S1. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0018749.g002
Summary
The true bugs (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera) represent the largest group of hemimetabolous insects, with more than 42,000 described species in over 5800 genera and 140 families [1]. Among the Heteroptera, there are a number of taxonomically difficult groups which include pest species (for example Lygus species [3]). Immature forms are generally difficult to identify using morphology-based keys. For the identification of species in the animal kingdom [4,5]. DNA barcodes could aid in the routine identification of Heteroptera in applied settings by enabling the recognition of morphologically cryptic species, by associating immature forms with adults (pest management), and by identifying eggs (phytosanitary applications) and fragmentary remains (food quality, ecological analyses). A few prior studies have employed DNA sequences for species identification in the Heteroptera. COI sequences (in this case, from the 39 end of the gene) were of limited utility in the identification of a Gerris species group. Memon et al [7] confirmed the usefulness of variation in COI sequences in circumscribing a new hemipteran species, but found broad overlap
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