title: DNA barcoding does not separate South American Triatoma (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), Chagas Disease vectors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  DNA barcoding assumes that a biological entity is completely separated from its closest relatives by a barcoding gap, which means that intraspecific genetic distance (from COI sequences) should never be greater than interspecific distances. We investigated the applicability of this strategy in identifying species of the genus Triatoma from South America.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We calculated intra and interspecific Kimura-2-parameter distances between species from the infestans, matogrossensis, sordida and rubrovaria subcomplexes. In every subcomplex examined we observed at least one intraspecific distance greater than interspecific distances.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although DNA barcoding is a straightforward approach, it was not applicable for identifying Southern American Triatoma species, which may have diverged recently. Thus, caution should be taken in identifying vector species using this approach, especially in groups where accurate identification of taxa is fundamentally linked to public health issues.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Biologia, Laboratório de Biologia Evolutiva Teórica e Aplicada, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. silviajusti@ioc.fiocruz.br.|Laboratório Nacional e Internacional de Referência em Taxonomia de Triatomíneos, InstitutoOswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. silviajusti@ioc.fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: Silvia Andrade
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Justi
authors.affiliation: Laboratório Nacional e Internacional de Referência em Taxonomia de Triatomíneos, InstitutoOswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. dale@ioc.fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dale
authors.affiliation: Laboratório Nacional e Internacional de Referência em Taxonomia de Triatomíneos, InstitutoOswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. galvao@ioc.fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: Cleber
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Galvão
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000635:transmission*; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics*; D058893:DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic / Q000379:methods*; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000235:genetics*; D020064:Reduviidae / Q000235:genetics*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D004247:DNA