Decoding the Peruvian Amazon with in situ DNA barcoding of vertebrate and plant taxa

Species extinctions in the tropics are accelerating, outpacing documentation efforts. Meanwhile, DNA barcoding is flourishing in the Global North, backed by extensive infrastructure, allowing non-taxonomic experts to identify species from nonlethal, minimally invasive, and environmental samples. However, hyper-diverse regions like Peru make up only 0.52% (n = 93,246) of the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD). To address this, we established three decentralized laboratories with low-cost, portable nanopore sequencers. From 2018-2023, we generated 1,858 barcodes in situ using six genetic markers for 1,097 vertebrates and 76 plants from existing and new biobanks. We present the first genetic barcodes for 30 mammal and 196 bird species from Peruvian specimens, increasing the number of Peruvian mammal and bird species in BOLD by 110% and 36.5% respectively. We also report the first records of the marsupial Marmosops ocellatus and the bat Sturnira lilium for Peru. This dataset represents an effort to go from fresh or museum-preserved samples to barcodes entirely in situ, avoiding the export of samples outside the country, and facilitating local capacity in molecular biodiversity research.