Insights into "barcode" COI gene characterization and phylogeny of South American Noctuinae

SAN BLAS, GERMÁN

Congreso; Lepidopterists? Society Meeting; 2021

Lepidopterists? Society

Despite the importance of several Noctuinae species, many were incorrectly identified for decades and immature stages are only known for important pests and a few other species. Molecular characterization through the DNA ?barcode? region of the COI gene proved to be an excellent tool for species identification. For this study, DNA ?barcode? sequences were obtained from 26 species of South American Noctuinae, for 23 of which this is the first time a gene has been sequenced. Genetic distance analysis carried out between these sequences and sequences of 85 species of different noctuids mined from GenBank supported the utility of DNA ?barcode? to identify species. Furthermore, the phylogenetic analysis grouped species of the same genus, supporting the identifications made, and grouped genera of the same tribe.