DNA Barcoding: Current Status Application And Future Perspectives

Abstract

Traditional morphology-based insect identification is time-consuming and require specialists whose numbers are insufficient and dwindling. DNA barcoding refers to the technique of sequencing a short fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, the “DNA barcode, “ from a taxonomically unknown specimen and performing comparisons with a reference library of barcodes of known species origin to establish a specieslevel identification. The standardized sequence region is called a DNA barcode because it is like a barcode tag for each taxon. Since the proposition of this concept and the launch of a large project named the Barcode of Life, this simple technique has attracted attention from taxonomist. As an index of diversity, DNA barcoding is distinct from the science of circumscribing species and resolving their evolutionary relationships, but it can serve as a powerful scaffold both to motivate and guide these efforts. The extreme diversity of insects and their economical, epidemiological and agricultural importance have made this group a major target of DNA barcoding. However, there is some controversy about the utility of DNA barcoding. Consequently, in this review, we present an overview of DNA barcoding, current satatus, advances and application of insect DNA barcoding.