DNA Barcode for the Parthenogenetic Surinam Cockroach Pycnoscelus surinamensis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Blattodea: Blaberidae) from India

DNA Barcoding is one of the emerging tools in molecular identification of faunal diversity, specifically insect fauna. The Surinam cockroach, Pycnoscelus surinamensis is the only known roach to be obligatorily parthenogenetic, with reported haplotypes. P. surinamensis is well established in Indomalayan, tropical and subtropical regions and substantially documented from India with a phenetic approach. Herewith we report the first set of mt DNA barcode from a vouchered collection for the species from southern Western Ghats India. Discussions are made on the identity of two sequences each of Blatteria species and Pycnoscelus species reported from USA.

Peering into the Darkness: DNA Barcoding Reveals Surprisingly High Diversity of Unknown Species of Diptera (Insecta) in Germany

Determining the size of the German insect fauna requires better knowledge of several megadiverse families of Diptera and Hymenoptera that are taxonomically challenging. This study takes the first step in assessing these “dark taxa” families and provides species estimates for four challenging groups of Diptera (Cecidomyiidae, Chironomidae, Phoridae, and Sciaridae). These estimates are based on more than 48,000 DNA barcodes (COI) from Diptera collected by Malaise traps that were deployed in southern Germany. We assessed the fraction of German species belonging to 11 fly families with well-studied taxonomy in these samples. The resultant ratios were then used to estimate the species richness of the four “dark taxa” families (DT families hereafter). Our results suggest a surprisingly high proportion of undetected biodiversity in a supposedly well-investigated country: at least 1800–2200 species await discovery in Germany in these four families. As this estimate is based on collections from one region of Germany, the species count will likely increase with expanded geographic sampling.

Pragmatic Applications and Universality of DNA Barcoding for Substantial Organisms at Species Level: A Review to Explore a Way Forward

DNA barcodes are regarded as hereditary succession codes that serve as a recognition marker to address several queries relating to the identification, classification, community ecology, and evolution of certain functional traits in organisms. The mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1) gene as a DNA barcode is highly efficient for discriminating vertebrate and invertebrate animal species. Similarly, different specific markers are used for other organisms, including ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (rbcL), maturase kinase (matK), transfer RNA-H and photosystem II D1-ApbsArabidopsis thaliana (trnH-psbA), and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) for plant species; 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA), elongation factor Tu gene (Tuf gene), and chaperonin for bacterial strains; and nuclear ITS for fungal strains. Nevertheless, the taxon coverage of reference sequences is far from complete for genus or species-level identification. Applying the next-generation sequencing approach to the parallel acquisition of DNA barcode sequences could greatly expand the potential for library preparation or accurate identification in biodiversity research. Overall, this review articulates on the DNA barcoding technology as applied to different organisms, its universality, applicability, and innovative approach to handling DNA-based species identification.

Identification of Lens Cultivars in Market by Molecular Tools: DNA Barcoding and SSRs

Substitution of plant cultivars of high commercial value with a cheaper, lower-quality one is a common fraud committed against consumers and producers. Since it is one of the most widely grown legumes, lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) are a suitable for such frauds. This study aimed to identify lentil cultivars which are registered and authorized in the market in Turkey by using current molecular methods. For this purpose, 26 lentil cultivars were analyzed for 15 SSR markers and 2 DNA barcode loci (trnH-psbA and matK). A high allele diversity was observed by 12 scorable SSR markers, and the average number of alleles was determined to be 16. One of the important findings was the presence of “cultivar-specific alleles” that can be used to identify each cultivar in the lentil market in Turkey. At least one “cultivar-specific allele” was obtained for each cultivar. The lentil cultivars were analyzed in terms of 2 DNA barcode regions as trnH-psbA and matK. Sequences that could identify 14 of the 26 cultivars were obtained. While the rate of the intra-species variation for the trnH-psbA region was observed to be low, a higher rate was found for matK. Nevertheless, it was observed that intra-species discrimination can be made more effective when both loci are used together. We expect that the results of this study, especially the cultivar-specific SSR alleles and DNA barcoding sequence data may be used routinely to identify on production and packaged products that are commercially available in markets.

Research Paper DNA barcode identification of fish products from Guiyang markets in southwest China

Nowadays, the global fish consumption continues to rise along with the continuous growth of the population, which has led to the dilemma of overfishing of fishery resources. Especially high-value fish that are overfished are often replaced by other fish. Therefore, the accurate identification of fish products in the market is a problem worthy of attention. In this study, full-DNA barcoding (FDB) and mini-DNA barcoding (MDB) used to detect the fraud of fish products in Guiyang, Guizhou province in China. The molecular identification results showed that 39 of the 191 samples were not consistent with the labels. The mislabelling of fish products for fresh, frozen, cooked and canned were 11.70%, 20.00%, 34.09% and 50.00%, respectively. The average kimura 2 parameter distances of MDB within species and genera were 0.27% and 5.41%, respectively; while average distances of FDB were 0.17% within species and 6.17% within genera. In this study, commercial fraud is noticeable, most of the high-priced fish were replaced of low-priced fish with a similar feature. Our study indicated that DNA barcoding is a valid tool for the identification of fish products and that it allows an idea of conservation and monitoring efforts, while confirming the MDB as a reliable tool for fish products.

Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Its Fungal Symbiont Ambrosiella roeperi Associated with Arecanut Kernel Decay in Karnataka, India

Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) is reported causing damage to areca palm plantations (Areca catechu L.—Arecaceae) in Karnataka (India). In particular, X. crassiusculus has been observed attacking and successfully reproducing on areca nuts; besides the new host plant record, the data provided here represent the first documented case of spermatophagy for this xyleborine beetle. All infestation symptoms of this polyphagous pest were documented and illustrated. The identity of the scolytid, besides morphologically, was confirmed by its DNA barcoding. Eggs, larvae and pupae were found within the galleries of infested kernels. All galleries of the infested kernels were characterized by the presence of whitish to greyish fungal growth. The fungus was identified as Ambrosiella roeperi, a known symbiont of Xylosandrus crassiusculus. Incidence of this symbiotic insect-fungus complex in the economic part of arecanut, i.e., the kernel, is of serious concern. In a climate change scenario, this beetle with fungal symbionts may pose a serious threat to arecanut production in India and elsewhere.