FILLING THE GAP: DNA BARCODE OF PORTUGUESE DIPTERANS

FILLING THE GAP: DNA BARCODE OF PORTUGUESE DIPTERANS

Sónia Ferreira (CIBIO-InBIO, Portugal) | June 17, 2019 | 8th International Barcode of Life Conference, Trondheim, Norway

Background: Diptera (true flies) are among the most diverse lineages of insects, with over 160 000 described species in the world and over 19 000 present in Europe. Dipterans play an important role in ecosystems at various trophic levels, both as consumers and as prey. Their larvae can be herbivores, scavengers, decomposers, predators, and parasites. The consumption of decaying organic matter, one of the most prevalent feeding behaviors, is of fundamental importance for ecosystems functioning, and several species are economically important crop pests. Despite their ubiquity and remarkable importance, fundamental information on Portuguese Diptera is scarce, with dozens of species still being added to the country inventories each year. Not surprisingly, the application of DNA metabarcoding techniques towards a better understanding of food web complexity in Mediterranean ecosystems, and the identification of trophic relationships relevant for pest management, has been limited by the absence of DNA barcodes. In recent studies, not even half of the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) found were assigned to species level. This project focuses on DNA barcoding Diptera from Portugal and aims to address this knowledge gap. It is conducted within the framework of the InBIO Barcoding Initiative (IBI), a barcoding initiative developed in CIBIO/InBIO that aims to barcode all terrestrial invertebrate groups of Portugal. Results: We collected and DNA barcoded more than 200 species of 48 families of dipterans. Genomic DNA was extracted, and the barcoding mitochondrial COI gene fragment (658 bp) was amplified. DNA barcodes were sequenced using high-throughput sequencing (Illumina). Several species new to the Portuguese fauna were found, including new species to science. Significance: While DNA barcoding has significant limitations in dipterans due to their high intra- and interspecific divergence, the documentation of their DNA barcodes in public databases remains of great relevance. The barcoding of Portuguese Diptera is directly assisting the application of DNA metabarcoding techniques.

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