Use of molecular methods in identification of species, age and sex of insects useful in forensic entomology

2014 ◽  
Vol 286 ◽  
pp. 66-69
Author(s):  
Joanna Stojak ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Barcoding ◽  
Species Identification ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Forensic Entomology ◽  
Sex Identification ◽  
The Body ◽  
Molecular Methods ◽  
Insect Larvae ◽  
Identification Of Species ◽  
Age And Sex

Forensic entomology uses insects to determine the time, cause and place of death. To this end, two entomological methods are used. The development-based method uses the patterns of insect larvae development under the specific thermal and environmental conditions. The succession-based method analyzes the sequence of insect succession on the body in various environmental conditions. The proper insect species identification is essential in both methods. In this article, the molecular methods of species, age and sex identification are presented such as DNA barcoding or DNA-HRM-PCR.

scholarly journals Identification of species adulteration in traded medicinal plant raw drugs using DNA barcoding

Genome ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stalin Nithaniyal ◽  
Sophie Lorraine Vassou ◽  
Sundar Poovitha ◽  
Balaji Raju ◽  
Madasamy Parani
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Dna Barcoding ◽  
Species Identification ◽  
Dna Barcode ◽  
Regulatory Agencies ◽  
Vernacular Names ◽  
Identification Of Species ◽  
Whole Plants

Plants are the major source of therapeutic ingredients in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). However, species adulteration in traded medicinal plant raw drugs threatens the reliability and safety of CAM. Since morphological features of medicinal plants are often not intact in the raw drugs, DNA barcoding was employed for species identification. Adulteration in 112 traded raw drugs was tested after creating a reference DNA barcode library consisting of 1452 rbcL and matK barcodes from 521 medicinal plant species. Species resolution of this library was 74.4%, 90.2%, and 93.0% for rbcL, matK, and rbcL + matK, respectively. DNA barcoding revealed adulteration in about 20% of the raw drugs, and at least 6% of them were derived from plants with completely different medicinal or toxic properties. Raw drugs in the form of dried roots, powders, and whole plants were found to be more prone to adulteration than rhizomes, fruits, and seeds. Morphological resemblance, co-occurrence, mislabeling, confusing vernacular names, and unauthorized or fraudulent substitutions might have contributed to species adulteration in the raw drugs. Therefore, this library can be routinely used to authenticate traded raw drugs for the benefit of all stakeholders: traders, consumers, and regulatory agencies.

scholarly journals Unravelling taxonomic ambiguity of the Mastacembelidae in the Mekong Delta (Vietnam) through DNA barcoding and morphological approaches

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thuy-Yen Duong ◽  
Liem Van Dung Tran ◽  
Ngoc-Tran Thi Nguyen ◽  
Jamsari Amirul Firdaus Jamaluddin ◽  
Mohd Nor Siti Azizah
Keyword(s):  
Dna Barcoding ◽  
Species Identification ◽  
Mekong Delta ◽  
The Body ◽  
Coi Gene ◽  
Sister Relationship ◽  
Test Species ◽  
Dorsal Fin ◽  
Mastacembelus Armatus ◽  
Fin Spines

Morphological-based species identification can be problematic for a comparative worldwide survey if taxonomic keys are limited and inconsistent, as illustrated in the family Mastacembelidae. This study combined DNA barcoding and morphological methods to test species identification of Mastacembelidae in the Mekong Delta with emphasis on taxonomic ambiguity of the precise identification of the fish locally known as chach bong. Fish specimens were collected from fishermen in different regions of the delta. Five presumed species within two genera were recorded. Samples were morphologically measured for morphometric and meristic traits. Representative samples of each species were sequenced at the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. The number of dorsal fin spines and general morphological appearance are distinguishable among the five presumed species. However, morphometric measurements overlapped between Macrognathus semiocellatus and Macrognathus siamensis. K2P distances based on COI sequences among species were high, ranging from 12.4% to 18.7%. All individuals were separated into monophyletic groups of species, clustered into Mastacembelus and two Macrognathus lineages. Chach bong should be recognized as Mastacembelus favus and not Mastacembelus armatus as previously classified. No Mastacembelus armatus was recorded in the Mekong Delta. GenBank sequences of Mastacembelus armatus formed a sister relationship to Mastacembelus favus although both have the same range of number of dorsal fin spines and similar reticulated patterns on the body. Misidentification between these two species has been widely recorded in international databases of species taxonomy and DNA barcodes. Nonetheless, their genetic distance (12.4%) is higher than conspecific distances of samples from other regions, indicating the two species can be differentiated by DNA barcoding.

DNA barcoding as an aid for species identification in austral black flies (Insecta: Diptera: Simuliidae)

Genome ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 348-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis M. Hernández-Triana ◽  
Fernanda Montes De Oca ◽  
Sean W.J. Prosser ◽  
Paul D.N. Hebert ◽  
T. Ryan Gregory ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Barcoding ◽  
Species Identification ◽  
Dna Barcode ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
Coi Gene ◽  
Black Flies ◽  
Cryptic Diversity ◽  
Dna Barcodes ◽  
Identification Of Species ◽  
Species Groups

In this paper, the utility of a partial sequence of the COI gene, the DNA barcoding region, for the identification of species of black flies in the austral region was assessed. Twenty-eight morphospecies were analyzed: eight of the genus Austrosimulium (four species in the subgenus Austrosimulium s. str., three species in the subgenus Novaustrosimulium, and one species unassigned to subgenus), two of the genus Cnesia, eight of Gigantodax, three of Paracnephia, one of Paraustrosimulium, and six of Simulium (subgenera Morops, Nevermannia, and Pternaspatha). The neighbour-joining tree derived from the DNA barcode sequences grouped most specimens according to species or species groups recognized by morphotaxonomic studies. Intraspecific sequence divergences within morphologically distinct species ranged from 0% to 1.8%, while higher divergences (2%–4.2%) in certain species suggested the presence of cryptic diversity. The existence of well-defined groups within S. simile revealed the likely inclusion of cryptic diversity. DNA barcodes also showed that specimens identified as C. dissimilis, C. nr. pussilla, and C. ornata might be conspecific, suggesting possible synonymy. DNA barcoding combined with a sound morphotaxonomic framework would provide an effective approach for the identification of black flies in the region.

scholarly journals Importance of entomology in veterinary forensics

2008 ◽  
Vol 62 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 223-231
Author(s):  
Jelena Aleksic ◽  
Slavoljub Jovic
Keyword(s):  
Forensic Entomology ◽  
The Body ◽  
Time Of Death ◽  
Important Food ◽  
Insect Larvae ◽  
Legal Evidence ◽  
Important Food Source ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Decomposition Phase

Entomological evidence is legal evidence in the form of insects or related artropodes, and a field of their study in the aim of medicocriminal applications and veterinary-medical forensic cases is forensic entomology. The most obvious and widely present fauna on the animal and human corpse in early stages of the decomposition process are insect larvae that use the corps as an important food source. The insects found on the corpse represent a significant source of information for determining the time of death, which is an evaluation of the post-morted interval. Additionally, by comparing fauna around the body with fauna found on the body one can obtain information if the corpse was moved after death. Often, insects found on the body point out that infestation by larvae started before death. That implicates animal abuse and defines its duration. Based on these elements, a forensic doctor can deduce which level of abuse is in question. Entomology is an expanding field and the more cases are being shown and the more researchers are being taught how to use insects as a way of proving responsibility, the more it will develop. It is becoming more common for entomological evidence to be case-breaking in the determination of post mortem intervals, in both early and late decomposition phase.

scholarly journals DNA barcoding reveals underestimated species diversity of mantis shrimp larvae (stomatopods) in Banten Bay, Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
ABINAWANTO ABINAWANTO ◽  
MARIANA D. BAYU INTAN ◽  
WISNU WARDHANA ◽  
ANOM BOWOLAKSONO
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Dna Barcoding ◽  
Species Identification ◽  
Molecular Methods ◽  
Mitochondrial Coi ◽  
Mantis Shrimp ◽  
Operational Taxonomic Units ◽  
Interspecific Divergence ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Unidentified Species

Abstract. Abinawanto, Intan MDB, Wardhana W, Bowolaksono A. 2019. DNA barcoding reveals species diversity of mantis shrimp larvae (stomatopods) from Banten Bay, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 20: 1758-1763. Larvae of stomatopods can be morphologically identified by linking between larval and adult form, but it's difficult applied in the laboratory because of requirement of condition to rearing larvae collected either from plankton, or spawning adults in the laboratory. Molecular methods are the alternative approach to gather accurate taxonomic identification. One of molecular methods is DNA barcoding based upon sequence diversity in cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI). Research on stomatopod larvae diversity and distribution at six stations in Banten Bay has been studied from October 2013 to March 2014. This study was conducted to identify the diversity of stomatopod larvae through DNA barcoding and also to examine the distribution of stomatopod larvae in Banten Bay. DNA barcoding was used to identify mantis shrimp larvae in Banten Bay, Indonesia. Partial mitochondrial COI were obtained for 37 larvae, revealing five distinct molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs). All MOTUs distinctively fell into Squillidea clade. Two Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units, MOTUs were successfully identified to species level (i.e. Anchisquilla fasciata), while three others remained identified to genus level (i.e. Stomatopoda spp). The intraspecific variation of COI ranged from 0% to 3.1% (Kimura 2-parameter distance), whereas interspecific divergence ranged from 5.9% to 20.4%. These results imply that COI genes are suitable for species identification of stomatopod larvae in this area, though the number of unidentified species was higher than the identified ones. This is likely because of the limited database in GenBank. In addition, the two identified species represents new records for this area, suggesting that the mantis shrimp in the area have been underestimated based on traditional biodiversity measures. We recommend to develop a taxonomically-comprehensive DNA barcoding database to improve the accuracy and feasibility of using DNA barcoding for species identification of Indonesia mantis shrimps.

Testing mitochondrial marker efficacy for DNA barcoding in spiders: a test case using the dwarf spider genus Oedothorax (Araneae : Linyphiidae : Erigoninae)

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara Lopardo ◽  
Gabriele Uhl
Keyword(s):  
Dna Barcoding ◽  
Species Identification ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Mitochondrial Marker ◽  
Promising Candidate ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Mitochondrial Markers ◽  
Identification Of Species ◽  
Morphological Species

The present study focusses on comparatively assessing the efficacy for DNA barcoding of the two most commonly used mitochondrial markers (cox1 and 16S) in a genus of erigonine spiders. In total, 53 specimens representing five species, including four multi-sampled species, were sampled from several European localities. Initial evaluation of species monophyly was performed through parsimony and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses. Efficacy of mitochondrial markers was tested using operational (including distance-, tree-based measures and Barcode Gap) and evolutionary criteria (using the General Mixed Yule-coalescent Model) for species delimitation. We propose that the cox1 marker can potentially overestimate analyses of biodiversity and thus might not be the preferred marker for DNA species identification and delimitation methods in Oedothorax. Instead, our results suggest that the 16S marker appears to be a promising candidate for such endeavour. Evaluating the contribution and suitability of markers to the re-identification of species, measured by their recovery of well established morphological species, is critical for future studies and for reliable results in species identification in spiders.

DNA barcoding of Antarctic marine zooplankton for species identification and recognition

2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangping CHENG ◽  
Minxiao WANG ◽  
Song SUN ◽  
Chaolun LI ◽  
Yongshan ZHANG
Keyword(s):  
Dna Barcoding ◽  
Species Identification ◽  
Marine Zooplankton ◽  
Antarctic Marine

scholarly journals Forensic Entomology in China and Its Challenges

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 230
Author(s):  
Yu Wang ◽  
Yinghui Wang ◽  
Man Wang ◽  
Wang Xu ◽  
Yanan Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Identification ◽  
Forensic Entomology ◽  
Research Progress ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Related Research ◽  
Dependent Development ◽  
Faunal Succession ◽  
Recent Research Progress

While the earliest record of forensic entomology originated in China, related research did not start in China until the 1990s. In this paper, we review the recent research progress on the species identification, temperature-dependent development, faunal succession, and entomological toxicology of sarcosaprophagous insects as well as common applications of forensic entomology in China. Furthermore, the difficulties and challenges forensic entomologists face in China are analyzed and possible countermeasures are presented.

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