Species delimitation and DNA barcoding for Chinese Mantodea (Insecta, Dictyoptera)

Area of Science:

• Zoology
• Genetics
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• DNA barcoding is a key tool for animal identification and species delineation.
• Mitochondrial DNA, specifically the cytochrome c oxidase I gene (COI-5P), is widely used for barcoding.
• Previous DNA barcode data for mantis species is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To generate new DNA barcode sequences for mantis species.
• To assess species delimitation using various algorithms.
• To evaluate the utility of DNA barcoding for mantis taxonomy and conservation.

Main Methods:

• Sequencing of the 5' end of the COI-5P gene for 318 mantis specimens across 55 species.
• Utilizing five species delimitation algorithms: Barcode Index Number (BIN) System, Generalized Mixed Yule Coalescent (GMYC), jMOTU, Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning (ASAP), and Bayesian implementation of the Poisson Tree Processes model (bPTP).
• Phylogenetic analysis using neighbor-joining (NJ) trees.

Main Results:

• Generated new COI-5P barcode sequences for 44 previously unsequenced mantis species.
• Assigned 379 COI-5P barcode sequences to 68 BINs, with 55 BINs being new to the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD).
• Different algorithms produced varying numbers of MOTUs (32-68), with most algorithms splitting certain species into multiple MOTUs and merging others, indicating complex species boundaries and potential cryptic diversity.

Conclusions:

• DNA barcoding provides valuable data for mantis species identification and delineation.
• The study generated significant new barcode data, contributing to a regional reference library.
• Integration of DNA barcoding with morphological data is crucial for accurate species identification.