title: DNA barcodes for Nearctic Auchenorrhyncha (Insecta: Hemiptera).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many studies have shown the suitability of sequence variation in the 5' region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene as a DNA barcode for the identification of species in a wide range of animal groups. We examined 471 species in 147 genera of Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha drawn from specimens in the Canadian National Collection of Insects to assess the effectiveness of DNA barcoding in this group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis of the COI gene revealed less than 2% intra-specific divergence in 93% of the taxa examined, while minimum interspecific distances exceeded 2% in 70% of congeneric species pairs. Although most species are characterized by a distinct sequence cluster, sequences for members of many groups of closely related species either shared sequences or showed close similarity, with 25% of species separated from their nearest neighbor by less than 1%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study, although preliminary, provides DNA barcodes for about 8% of the species of this hemipteran suborder found in North America north of Mexico. Barcodes can enable the identification of many species of Auchenorrhyncha, but members of some species groups cannot be discriminated. Future use of DNA barcodes in regulatory, pest management, and environmental applications will be possible as the barcode library for Auchenorrhyncha expands to include more species and broader geographic coverage.
authors.affiliation: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Invertebrate Biodiversity - National Environmental Health Program, and Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Robert G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Foottit
authors.affiliation: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Invertebrate Biodiversity - National Environmental Health Program, and Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Maw
authors.affiliation: Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: P D N
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Hebert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D058893:DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D017344:Genes, Insect; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial