scholarly journals Investigating leaf beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) on the west coast islands of Sabah via checklist-taking and DNA barcoding

Author(s):  
Kam-Cheng Yeong ◽  
Haruo Takizawa ◽  
Thor-Seng Liew

Sabah, northern Borneo is one of the world’s most well-recognized biodiversity hotspots famous for the incredible diversity of its flora and fauna. Plenty of studies of leaf beetle fauna from this region have been conducted over the past 30 years. Yet, our knowledge of the leaf beetle fauna from island habitats remains scarce despite Sabah having the highest number of islands in Malaysia (ca. 500 islands). In this study, we collected leaf beetle fauna from 13 islands off the west coast of Sabah between January 2016 and March 2017. All specimens were identified to species level. Species names were assigned when the specimens fitted the description of species in the literature and morpho-species were assigned when the species names could not be determined. In addition, DNA barcodes – mitochondarial COI gene – of the species were sequenced. A total of 68 species from 31 genera and 5 subfamilies were collected with 12 species name being determined. From the data it was established that Pulau Gaya has the highest species richness (42 species), followed by Pulau Tiga (22 species) and Pulau Sapangar (18 species). Furthermore, a total of 64 Barcode Index Numbers consisting of 101 DNA barcodes were obtained from 60 leaf beetle species. The mean intraspecific and interspecific distances were determined as 0.77 % and 16.11 %, respectively. In addition, DNA barcoding also reveals phenotypic variation in leaf beetle species, particularly in the case of the subfamily Galerucinae. This study provides baseline knowledge and information about the DNA barcodes of leaf beetle species on Sabah’s island habitats for use in future studies.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kam-Cheng Yeong ◽  
Haruo Takizawa ◽  
Thor-Seng Liew

Sabah, northern Borneo is one of the world’s most well-recognized biodiversity hotspots famous for the incredible diversity of its flora and fauna. Plenty of studies of leaf beetle fauna from this region have been conducted over the past 30 years. Yet, our knowledge of the leaf beetle fauna from island habitats remains scarce despite Sabah having the highest number of islands in Malaysia (ca. 500 islands). In this study, we collected leaf beetle fauna from 13 islands off the west coast of Sabah between January 2016 and March 2017. All specimens were identified to species level. Species names were assigned when the specimens fitted the description of species in the literature and morpho-species were assigned when the species names could not be determined. In addition, DNA barcodes – mitochondarial COI gene – of the species were sequenced. A total of 68 species from 31 genera and 5 subfamilies were collected with 12 species name being determined. From the data it was established that Pulau Gaya has the highest species richness (42 species), followed by Pulau Tiga (22 species) and Pulau Sapangar (18 species). Furthermore, a total of 64 Barcode Index Numbers consisting of 101 DNA barcodes were obtained from 60 leaf beetle species. The mean intraspecific and interspecific distances were determined as 0.77 % and 16.11 %, respectively. In addition, DNA barcoding also reveals phenotypic variation in leaf beetle species, particularly in the case of the subfamily Galerucinae. This study provides baseline knowledge and information about the DNA barcodes of leaf beetle species on Sabah’s island habitats for use in future studies.


PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5811
Author(s):  
Kam-Cheng Yeong ◽  
Haruo Takizawa ◽  
Thor-Seng Liew

Sabah is a province of Malaysia located on the northern part of the island of Borneo. Most of the leaf beetle fauna studies from this region conducted over the past 15 years have focussed on the mainland habitats while the leaf beetle fauna from island habitats (ca. 500 islands) have largely been overlooked. This study looks into the leaf beetle fauna of 13 small satellite islands off the west coast of Sabah. All specimens were first sorted into morpho-species operational taxonomic unit (OTU) before being identified to species rank where possible based on morphological characters and species names assigned when the specimens fitted the description of species in the literature. We collected 75 OTUs from 35 genera and five subfamilies according to morphology, 12 of which were identifiable to species level. In addition, the DNA barcode for each OTU was cross checked with records in GenBank and Barcoding of Life Data system (BOLD) to verify their identity. The number of species recorded was reduced from 12 species and 63 OTUs (total 75 OTUs) to 12 species and 56 OTUs (total 68 OTUs) after removal of the colour polymorphic species based on DNA barcode analyses. Pulau Gaya has the highest species richness and Pulau Sulug has the lowest species richness. A total of 64 Barcode Index Numbers consisting of 101 DNA barcodes were obtained from the 12 leaf beetle species and 48 OTUs. Based on the DNA barcode analyses, it was possible to confirm several polymorphic OTUs and cryptic species. The mean intraspecific and interspecific genetic divergence were determined as 0.77% and 16.11%, respectively. DNA barcodes of this study show a low similarity with records in GenBank and BOLD, highlighting the lack of representation and the urgency of studying leaf beetles from this region. The study provides the first documentation of leaf beetle fauna from island habitats of Sabah and the first DNA barcoding data for leaf beetles from this part of the world, with the next steps being larger scale sampling over a wider geographical scale for a better understanding of tropical arthropod diversity.


2011 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1225-1234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reyhaneh Darsouei ◽  
Javad Karimi ◽  
Mehdi Modarres-Awal

DNA barcoding is a modern method for the identification of different species, including insects. Among animals, the major emphasis of DNA barcoding is on insects. Due to this global trend we addressed this approach for surveying a group of insects. The parasitic wasps (including primary and hyperparasitoids) of pome fruit orchard aphids were collected from Iran-Mashhad during 2009-2010. Preliminary identification of this group was performed by using morphological and morphometric characters and SEM. The COI gene in the specimens was amplified and sequenced. In this survey, Aphidius matricariae, Binodoxys angelicae, Diaeretiella rapae, Ephedrus persicae, Lysiphlebus fabarum and Praon volucre parasitoids and Alloxysta sp., Asaphes suspensus, Dendrocerus carpenteri, Pachyneuron aphidis, Syrphophagus aphidivorus hyperparasitoids were studied. Based on intra-interspecies distances and phylogenetic analysis using NJ, all species possess diagnostic barcode sequences. The results of this study show that the COI sequence could be useful in identification study of this group of insects. Here we have provided the first GenBank data for the COI gene of the above-mentioned hyperparasitoids as well as an initial attempt toward preparing DNA barcodes for Iranian parasitoid and hyperparasitoid aphids.


DNA Barcodes ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren M. Overdyk ◽  
Heather E. Braid ◽  
Stephen S. Crawford ◽  
Robert H. Hanner

AbstractDNA barcoding is a useful tool for both species identification and discovery, but the latter requires denser sampling than typically used in barcode studies. Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) is a valuable species, fished traditionally, commercially, and recreationally in Lake Huron. Based on the natural geographic and bathymetric separation of the three major basins in Lake Huron, the potential separation of Lake Whitefish within these basins, and the variation among life history (early and late spawning), we predicted that Lake Huron might harbour cryptic lineages of Lake Whitefish at the basin level. To test this prediction, DNA barcodes of the mitochondrial 5’ cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences were recovered from spawning phase Lake Whitefish (n = 5 per site), which were collected from sites (n = 28) around Lake Huron during Fall 2012. These sequences, combined with other publically available DNA barcodes from the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD), revealed twelve unique haplotypes across North America, with seven unique to Lake Huron. The dominant haplotype was found throughout Lake Huron and east to the St. Lawrence River. No deep divergences were revealed. This comprehensive lake-wide sampling effort offers a new perspective on C. clupeaformis, and can provide insight for environmental assessments and fisheries management.


Zootaxa ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 1839 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
MANUEL ELÍAS-GUTIÉRREZ ◽  
FERNANDO MARTÍNEZ JERÓNIMO ◽  
NATALIA V. IVANOVA ◽  
MARTHA VALDEZ-MORENO ◽  
PAUL D. N. HEBERT

DNA barcoding, based on sequence diversity in the mitochondrial COI gene, has proven an excellent tool for identifying species in many animal groups. Here, we report the first barcode studies for freshwater zooplankton from Mexico and Guatemala and discuss the taxonomic and biological implications of this work. Our studies examined 61 species of Cladocera and 21 of Copepoda, about 40% of the known fauna in this region. Sequence divergences among conspecific individuals of cladocerans and copepods averaged 0.82% and 0.79%, respectively, while sequence divergences among congeneric taxa were on average 15-20 times as high. Barcodes were successful in discriminating all species in our study, but sequences for Mexican Daphnia exilis overlapped with those of D. spinulata from Argentina. Our barcode data revealed evidence of many species overlooked by current classification systems —for example, based on COI genotypes the Diapahanosoma birgei group appears to include 5 species, while Ceriodaphnia cf. rigaudi, Moina cf. micrura, Mastigodiaptomus albuquerquensis and Mastigodiaptomus reidae all include 2–3 taxa. The barcode results support recent taxonomic revisions, such as recognition of the genus Leberis, and the presence of several species in the D. birgei and Chydorus sphaericus complexes. The present results indicate that DNA barcoding will provide powerful new insights into both the incidence of cryptic species and a better understanding of zooplankton distributions, aiding evaluation of the factors influencing competitive outcomes, and the colonization of aquatic environments.


Author(s):  
Carlos Pedraza-Lara ◽  
Marco A Garduño-Sánchez ◽  
Isabel Téllez-García ◽  
Stephany Rodríguez-González ◽  
Eduardo Nuple-Juárez ◽  
...  

Abstract Identification of species involved in cadaveric decomposition, such as scavenger Diptera, is a fundamental step for the use of entomological evidence in court. Identification based on morphology is widely used in forensic cases; however, taxonomic knowledge of scavenger fauna is poor for many groups and for many countries, particularly Neotropical ones. A number of studies have documented the utility of a DNA barcoding strategy to assist in the identification of poorly known and diverse groups, particularly in cases involving immature states or fragmented organisms. To provide baseline knowledge of the diversity of scavenger Diptera in the Valley of Mexico, we generated a DNA barcode collection comprised of sequences of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene for all families sampled at a nature reserve located in this region. We collected and identified specimens on the basis of morphology and a species delimitation analysis. Our analyses of 339 individuals delineated 42 species distributed across nine families of Diptera. The richest families were Calliphoridae (9 species), Sarcophagidae (7 species), and Phoridae (6 species). We found many of the species previously recorded for the Valley of Mexico, plus 18 new records for the region. Our study highlights the utility of DNA barcoding as a first-step strategy to assess species richness of poorly studied scavenger fly taxa.


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