title: A comprehensive DNA sequence library is essential for identification with DNA barcodes.
abstract: In this study we examine the possibility of utilising partial cox1 gene sequences as barcodes to identify non-biting midges (Diptera: Chironomidae). We analysed DNA from 97 specimens of 47 species in the genera Cladotanytarsus, Micropsectra, Parapsectra, Paratanytarsus, Rheotanytarsus, Tanytarsus and Virgatanytarsus with a main focus on Micropsectra, Parapsectra and Paratanytarsus. Our findings show that (1) cox1 is easily amplified from extracts from different life stages with the standard barcoding primers. (2) Although K2P-distances between con-specific sequences varied up to 4.9%, con-specifics clustered together with 91-100% bootstrap support in maximum parsimony analysis. This indicates that barcodes may be excellent tools to identify species that are already in a cox1 library. (3) Both neighbour joining and maximum parsimony failed to reconstruct monophyletic genera. Thus, if a well-matching cox1 sequence is not already available in the library, the prospects of approximately identifying an unknown taxon, even to the correct genus of subtribe Tanytarsina, are not good.
authors.affiliation: Section of Natural History, Museum of Natural History and Archaeology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway. Torbjorn.Ekrem@vm.ntnu.no
authors.forename: Torbjørn
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ekrem
authors.forename: Endre
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Willassen
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stur
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002683:Chironomidae / Q000235:genetics*; D004247:DNA; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015723:Gene Library; D017344:Genes, Insect; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny
chemical_list: D004247:DNA; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV