Rapid dissemination of taxonomic discoveries based on DNA barcoding and morphology

Description of two new huntsman spiders from Vietnam (Araneae, Sparassidae)

Two new species of the sparassid genera Heteropoda Latreille, 1804 and Pseudopoda Jäger, 2000 are described from Vietnam: Heteropodataygiangensis sp. nov. (♂) from Quang Nam Province and Pseudopodatadungensis sp. nov. (♀) from Dak Nong Province. The new Pseudopoda species is described and diagnosed based on both morphological characteristics and DNA barcoding. DNA barcode data (COI) are provided for both new species.

The relationship between taxonomic classification and applied entomology: stored product pests as a model group

Taxonomy provides a general foundation for research on insects. Using stored product pest (SPP) arthropods as a model group, this article overviews the historical impacts of taxonomy on applied entomology. The article surveys the dynamics of historical descriptions of new species in various SPP taxa; the majority of all species (90%) were described prior to 1925, while the key pests were described prior to 1866. The review shows that process of describing new SPP species is not random but is influenced by following factors: (i) larger species tend to be described earlier than smaller and SPP moths and beetles are described earlier than psocids and mites; (ii) key economic pests are on average described earlier than less significant ones. Considering a species name as a "password" to unique information resources, this review also assesses the historical number of synonymous or duplicate names of SPP species. Pests belonging to some higher taxa Lepidoptera and Coleoptera has accumulated more scientific synonyms than those others belonging to Psocoptera and Acari. Number of synonyms positively correlated with the economic importance of SPP species. The review summarized semantic origin of SPP names showing minor proportion of names (17.6%) are toponyms (geography) or eponyms (people), while the majority (82.4%) fall into other categories (descriptive, etc.). It is concluded that awareness of taxonomic advances, including changes to species and higher taxa names, should be effectively communicated to pest control practitioners and applied entomology students, and specifically addressed in relevant textbooks, web media, and databases.

Four new species of Pseudopoda Jäger, 2000 (Araneae, Sparassidae, Heteropodinae) from China and Vietnam

Four new species of Pseudopoda Jäger, 2000 (Araneae, Sparassidae) are described based on material collected from China and Vietnam: P.campylotropa Zhang, Chen, Liu, Jäger & Hu, sp. nov. (♂♀) and P.caoguii Zhang, Chen, Liu, Jäger & Hu, sp. nov. (♀) from Yunnan Province of China; P.yejiachangensis Zhang, Chen, Liu, Jäger & Hu, sp. nov. (♂) from Jiangxi Province of China; and P.ornithorhynchus Zhang, Chen, Liu, Jäger & Hu, sp. nov. (♂) from Vinh Phuc Province of Vietnam.

Integrating DNA Barcoding Within an Orthogonal Approach for Herbal Product Authentication: A Narrative Review

INTRODUCTION

Existing methods for morphological, organoleptic, and chemical authentication may not adequately ensure the accurate identification of plant species or guarantee safety. Herbal raw material authentication remains a major challenge in herbal medicine. Over the past decade, DNA barcoding, combined with an orthogonal approach integrating various testing methods for quality assurance, has emerged as a new trend in plant authentication.

OBJECTIVE

The review evaluates DNA barcoding and common alternative testing in plant-related sectors to enhance quality assurance and accurate authentication.

METHOD

Studies were selected based on their relevance to the identification, quality assurance, and safety of herbal products. Inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed articles, systematic reviews, and relevant case studies from the last two decades focused on DNA barcoding, identification methods, and their applications. Exclusion criteria involved studies lacking empirical data, those not peer-reviewed, or those unrelated to the main focus. This ensured the inclusion of high-quality, pertinent sources while excluding less relevant studies.

RESULTS

An orthogonal approach refers to the use of multiple, independent methods that provide complementary information for more accurate plant identification and quality assurance. This reduces false positives or negatives by confirming results through different techniques, combining DNA barcoding with morphological analysis or chemical profiling. It enhances confidence in results, particularly in cases of potential adulteration or misidentification of plant materials.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the persistent challenges in assuring the quality, purity, and safety of plant materials. Additionally, it stresses the importance of incorporating DNA-based authentication alongside traditional methods, to enhance plant material identification.

Description of three new species of the spider genus Pseudopoda Jäger, 2000 (Araneae, Sparassidae) from China, Laos and Thailand, and the female of P.kavanaughi Zhang, Jäger & Liu, 2023

With 252 species, Pseudopoda Jäger, 2000, is the largest genus in the family Sparassidae and is widely distributed in South (49 species in Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan), East (158 species in China and Japan) and Southeast Asia (51 species in Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam). Few species have been found in more than one region. In this paper, three new species of Pseudopoda are described from East and Southeast Asia. Among them, one from China: P.fengtongzhaiensis Jäger & Liu, sp. nov. (♀); one from Laos: P.baimai Jäger & Liu, sp. nov. (♀); and one from Thailand: P.inthanonensis Jäger & Liu, sp. nov. (♀). Additionally, the female of P.kavanaughi Zhang, Jäger & Liu, 2023 is described for the first time. Photos of the habitus and genitalia, as well as a distribution map of all four species, are provided.

A new species of Pseudopoda (Araneae, Sparassidae) from China, with the description of different and distinctive internal ducts of the female vulva

One new species of the genus Pseudopoda Jäger, 2000, Pseudopodadeformis Gong & Zhong, sp. nov. (♂, ♀), is described and documented with digital images from Shennongjia Forestry District, Hubei Province, China, based on morphology and DNA barcodes. This new species is separated from other Pseudopoda species by the unique type of internal ducts of the female vulva that are curved longitudinally, forming a narrow triangle or trapezoidal shape. In addition, DNA barcodes for this species are provided.

Deciphering the modulatory role of apigenin targeting oncogenic pathways in human cancers

Cancer is a complicated malignancy controlled by numerous intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. There has been a significant increase in interest in recent years in the elucidation of cancer treatments based on natural extracts that have fewer side effects. Numerous natural product-derived chemicals have been investigated for their anticancer effects in the search for an efficient chemotherapeutic method. Therefore, the rationale behind this review is to provide a detailed insights about the anticancerous potential of apigenin via modulating numerous cell signaling pathways. An ingestible plant-derived flavonoid called apigenin has been linked to numerous anticancerous potential in numerous experimental and biological studies. Apigenin has been reported to induce cell growth arrest and apoptotic induction by modulating multiple cell signaling pathways in a wider range of human tumors including those of the breast, lung, liver, skin, blood, colon, prostate, pancreatic, cervical, oral, and stomach. Oncogenic protein networks, abnormal cell signaling, and modulation of the apoptotic machinery are only a few examples of diverse molecular interactions and processes that have not yet been thoroughly addressed by scientific research. Thus, keeping this fact in mind, we tried to focus our review towards summarizing the apigenin-mediated modulation of oncogenic pathways in various malignancies that can be further utilized to develop a potent therapeutic alternative for the treatment of various cancers.

To be or not to be… Integrative taxonomy and species delimitation in the daddy long-legs spiders of the genus Physocyclus (Araneae, Pholcidae) using DNA barcoding and morphology

Integrative taxonomy is crucial for discovery, recognition, and species delimitation, especially in underestimated species complex or cryptic species, by incorporating different sources of evidence to construct rigorous species hypotheses. The spider genus Physocyclus Simon, 1893 (Pholcidae, Arteminae) is composed of 37 species, mainly from North America. In this study, traditional morphology was compared with three DNA barcoding markers regarding their utility in species delimitation within the genus: 1) Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit 1 (CO1), 2) Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2), and 3) Ribosomal large subunit (28S). The molecular species delimitation analyses were carried out using four methods under the corrected p-distances Neighbor-Joining (NJ) criteria: 1) Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD), 2) Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning (ASAP), 3) General Mixed Yule Coalescent model (GMYC), and 4) Bayesian Poisson Tree Processes (bPTP). The analyses incorporated 75 terminals from 22 putative species of Physocyclus. The average intraspecific genetic distance (p-distance) was found to be < 2%, whereas the average interspecific genetic distance was 20.6%. The ABGD, ASAP, and GMYC methods were the most congruent, delimiting 26 or 27 species, while the bPTP method delimited 33 species. The use of traditional morphology for species delimitation was congruent with most molecular methods, with the male palp, male chelicerae, and female genitalia shown to be robust characters that support species-level identification. The barcoding with CO1 and 28S had better resolution for species delimitation in comparison with ITS2. The concatenated matrix and traditional morphology were found to be more robust and informative for species delimitation within Physocyclus.

Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago barcoded: Fish diversity in the remoteness and DNA barcodes reference library for metabarcoding monitoring

In order to monitor the effects of anthropogenic pressures in ecosystems, molecular techniques can be used to characterize species composition. Among molecular markers capable of identifying species, the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) is the most used. However, new possibilities of biodiversity profiling have become possible, in which molecular fragments of medium and short-length can now be analyzed in metabarcoding studies. Here, a survey of fishes from the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago was barcoded using the COI marker, which allowed the identification of 21 species. This paved the way to further investigate the fish biodiversity of the archipelago, transitioning from barcoding to metabarcoding analysis. As preparatory steps for future metabarcoding studies, the first extensive COI library of fishes listed for these islands was constructed and includes new data generated in this survey as well as previously available data, resulting in a final database with 9,183 sequences from 169 species and 63 families of fish. A new primer specifically designed for those fishes was tested in silico to amplify a region of 262 bp. The new approach should guarantee a reliable surveillance of the archipelago and can be used to generate policies that will enhance the archipelago’s protection.

Detection and quantification of Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, and human herpesvirus-6 in stomach frozen tissue of chronic gastritis and gastric cancer patients

Human herpes viruses (HHVs) are among the most common infectious agents detected in the gastrointestinal tract that might be involved in oncogenesis and other gastrointestinal disorders. Although the link between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and gastric cancer (GC) has been established, the role of the viruses in various stomach diseases remains unknown. The frequencies and viral copy number of EBV, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) among 50 gastric cancer tumors and 105 chronic gastritis tissues were measured by quantitative real-time PCR. In the tumor specimens and the adjacent normal tissues EBV was found in 60% and 30.9%, CMV in 14% and 4.7%, and HHV-6 in 18%, and 14.2%, respectively. The detection rate of EBV and CMV was found to be significantly higher in tumor tissues relative to the adjacent normal tissues. Also, in chronic gastritis, the frequency of EBV, CMV, and HHV-6 was 19%, 12.3%, and 15.2%, respectively, compared with 16.4%, 1.1%, and 8.2% in their corresponding normal tissues. Here, the CMV frequency was found to be significantly higher in gastritis tissues relative to the adjacent normal tissues. Furthermore, viral load in both gastric cancer and gastritis groups was higher in either tumor or gastritis lesion compared with matched adjacent normal tissue. This study showed a clear association between gastric cancer with both EBV and CMV. Meanwhile, analyses revealed a strong association between the EBV, CMV, and HHV-6 viral loads with gastritis (P = 0.0026, P < 0.0001, and P = 0.0405, respectively). Our results suggest that these three viruses might contribute to the induction and development the gastritis and gastric cancer.

Lack of Statistical Rigor in DNA Barcoding Likely Invalidates the Presence of a True Species' Barcode Gap

DNA barcoding has been largely successful in satisfactorily exposing levels of standing genetic diversity for a wide range of taxonomic groups through the employment of only one or a few universal gene markers. However, sufficient coverage of geographically-broad intra-specific haplotype variation within genomic databases like the Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) and GenBank remains relatively sparse. As reference sequence libraries continue to grow exponentially in size, there is now the need to identify novel ways of meaningfully analyzing vast amounts of available DNA barcode data. This is an important issue to address promptly for the routine tasks of specimen identification and species discovery, which have seen broad adoption in areas as diverse as regulatory forensics and resource conservation. Here, it is demonstrated that the interpretation of DNA barcoding data is lacking in statistical rigor. To highlight this, focus is set specifically on one key concept that has become a household name in the field: the DNA barcode gap. Arguments outlined herein specifically center on DNA barcoding in animal taxa and stem from three angles: (1) the improper allocation of specimen sampling effort necessary to capture adequate levels of within-species genetic variation, (2) failing to properly visualize intra-specific and interspecific genetic distances, and (3) the inconsistent, inappropriate use, or absence of statistical inferential procedures in DNA barcoding gap analyses. Furthermore, simple statistical solutions are outlined which can greatly propel the use of DNA barcoding as a tool to irrefutably match unknowns to knowns on the basis of the barcoding gap with a high degree of confidence. Proposed methods examined herein are illustrated through application to DNA barcode sequence data from Canadian Pacific fish species as a case study.

Reactive oxygen species: Key players in the anticancer effects of apigenin?

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) exhibit a double-edged sword in cancer-hence their modulation has been an attractive strategy in cancer prevention and therapy. The abundance of scientific information on the pro-oxidant effects of apigenin in cancer cells suggests the crucial role of ROS in its mechanisms of action. Although apigenin is known to enhance the cellular ROS levels to cytotoxic degrees in cancer cells in vitro, it remains to be determined if these pro-oxidant effects prevail or are relevant in experimental tumor models and clinical trials. Here, we critically examine the pro-oxidant and antioxidant effects of apigenin in cancer to provide insightful perspectives on the association between its ROS-modulating action and anticancer potential. We also discussed these effects in a cell/tissue type-specific context to highlight the factors influencing the switch between antioxidant and pro-oxidant effects. Finally, we raised some questions that need addressing for the potential translation of these studies into clinical applications. Further research into this duality in oxidant actions of apigenin, especially in vivo, may enable better exploitation of its anticancer potential. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Apigenin is a naturally occurring compound found in chamomile flowers, parsley, celery, peppermint, and citrus fruits. Many human trials of dietary interventions with apigenin-containing herbs and flavonoid mixture on oxidative stress markers, for instance, point to their antioxidant effects and health benefits in many diseases. Preclinical studies suggest that apigenin alone or its combination with chemotherapeutics has a strong anti-neoplastic effect and can induce ROS-mediated cytotoxicity at concentrations in the micromolar (μM) range, which may not be feasible with dietary interventions. Enhancing the in vivo pharmacokinetic properties of apigenin may be indispensable for its potential cancer-specific pro-oxidant therapy and may provide relevant information for clinical studies of apigenin either as a single agent or an adjuvant to chemotherapeutics.

The anticarcinogenic and anticancer effects of the dietary flavonoid, morin: Current status, challenges, and future perspectives

Flavonoids constitute one of the most important classes of polyphenols, which have been found to have a wide range of biological activities such as anticancer effects. A large body of evidence demonstrates that morin as a pleiotropic dietary flavonoid possesses potent anticarcinogenic and anticancer activities with minimal toxicity against normal cells. The present review comprehensively elaborates the molecular mechanisms underlying antitumorigenic and anticancer effects of morin. Morin exerts its anticarcinogenic effects through multiple cancer preventive mechanisms, including reduction of oxidative stress, activation of phase II enzymes, induction of apoptosis, attenuation of inflammatory mediators, and downregulation of p-Akt and NF-κB expression. A variety of molecular targets and signaling pathways such as apoptosis, cell cycle, reactive oxygen species (ROS), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and microRNAs (miRNAs) as well as signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), NF-κB, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and Hippo pathways have been found to be involved in the anticancer effects of morin. In the adjuvant therapy, morin has been shown to have synergistic anticancer effects with several chemotherapeutic drugs. The findings of this review indicate that morin can act as a promising chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agent.

Alpine lichen diversity in an isolated sky island in the Colorado Plateau, USA-Insight from an integrative biodiversity inventory

Lichens are major components of high altitude/latitude ecosystems. However, accurately characterizing their biodiversity is challenging because these regions and habitats are often underexplored, there are numerous poorly known taxonomic groups, and morphological variation in extreme environments can yield conflicting interpretations. Using an iterative taxonomic approach based on over 800 specimens and incorporating both traditional morphology-based identifications and information from the standard fungal DNA barcoding marker, we compiled a voucher-based inventory of biodiversity of lichen-forming fungi in a geographically limited and vulnerable alpine community in an isolated sky island in the Colorado Plateau, USA-the La Sal Mountains. We used the newly proposed Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning (ASAP) approach to empirically delimit candidate species-level lineages from family-level multiple sequence alignments. Specimens comprising DNA-based candidate species were evaluated using traditional taxonomically diagnostic phenotypic characters to identify specimens to integrative species hypotheses and link these, where possible, to currently described species. Despite the limited alpine habitat (ca. 3,250 ha), we document the most diverse alpine lichen community known to date from the southern Rocky Mountains, with up to 240 candidate species/species-level lineages of lichen-forming fungi. 139 species were inferred using integrative taxonomy, plus an additional 52 candidate species within 29 different putative species complexes. Over 68% of sequences could not be assigned to species-level rank with statistical confidence, corroborating the limited utility of current sequence repositories for species-level DNA barcoding of lichen-forming fungi. By integrating vouchered specimens, DNA sequence data, and photographic documentation, we provide an important baseline of lichen-forming fungal diversity for the limited alpine habitat in the Colorado Plateau. These data provide an important resource for subsequent research in the ecology and evolution of lichens alpine habitats, including DNA barcodes for most putative species/species-level lineages occurring in the La Sal Mountains, and vouchered collections representing any potentially undescribed species that can be used for future taxonomic studies.

Northward geographic diversification of a kleptoparasitic spider Argyrodes lanyuensis (Araneae, Theridiidae) from the Philippine Archipelago to Orchid Island

Oceanic islands are unique geographic systems that promote local adaptations and allopatric speciation in many of their highly endemic taxa. This is a common case in the Philippine Archipelago, where numerous unrelated taxa on islands have been inferred to have diversified in isolation. However, few cases have been reported in invertebrates especially among parasitic organisms. Here, we tested for biogeographical structure in novel populations of the "generalist" kleptoparasitic spider, Argyrodes lanyuensis Yoshida, Tso & Severinghaus, 1998 in the Philippines. Results showed that, in addition to Orchid/Lanyu Island, this species has a wide geographic distribution in the Philippine Archipelago. The estimated divergence time of this lineage using the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (mt-CO1) suggests that this species diverged ca 3.12 MYA, during the Pliocene. Two reciprocal monophyletic clades were elucidated in A. lanyuensis, but with limited differentiation across Pleistocene Aggregate Island Complex (PAIC) boundaries and modern-day islands. However, in our analyses of morphological variation, we identified two phenotypically differentiated units in males (Orchid Island, Taiwan + Luzon, Philippine PAIC populations vs. Palawan + West Visayan + Mindanao PAIC populations). We infer that this species diverged in the southern portion of the Philippine Archipelago and only recently colonized Orchid Island. Our study provides new information on the extensive distribution of A. lanyuensis outside Orchid Island, Taiwan, but we documented a very limited geographically associated genetic variation. Our study points to behavioral phenomena such as foraging behavior as essential contributor to the evolutionary process of species diversification, in contrast to the traditionally invoked geographic drivers of divergence.

DNA-based species delimitation reveals cryptic and incipient species in synchronous flashing fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) of Southeast Asia

Synchronous flashing fireflies of the genus Pteroptyx are ubiquitous throughout Southeast Asia, yet fundamental knowledge about their biodiversity is lacking. Recent studies have revealed notable population-level phylogeographical structure within the Pteroptyx tener and P. bearni groups in Malaysia, suggesting that cryptic species may exist. Additionally, morphological and genetic similarities between P. balingiana and P. malaccae have raised questions about the former’s validity as a distinct species. We collected samples from previously unsampled populations and assembled the most comprehensive genetic dataset for Pteroptyx to date, to characterize species boundaries within the P. tener, P. bearni and P. malaccae groups. Using a suite of species delimitation analyses, we show that P. tener along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia (PM) is distinct from populations from the east coast and Borneo despite the absence of morphological differentiation. However, analyses could not conclusively differentiate P. bearni from Borneo and eastern PM, nor identify P. balingiana and P. malaccae as distinct species, indicating that these populations may be conspecific or represent incipient species. This study underlines the need to increase geographical, taxonomic and genetic sampling of Southeast Asian fireflies to provide a better understanding of their biodiversity.

Roots of the taxonomic impediment: Is the "integrativeness" a remedy?

The use of the "integrative approach" for classification of organisms since its formal establishment in 2005 has become a recurrent theme of zoosystematics. A bibliometric survey of the publications on integrative taxonomy of animals, which is aimed at exploring the most popular areas of research and characterizing the practical systematists' attitudes to this new approach, is presented. An analysis of 582 papers, which appeared between 2005 and 2017 in journals indexed by Scopus and the Web of Science Core Collection, has illustrated the gradual growth of the popularity of integrative taxonomy as well as some biases in the representation of higher taxa in "integrated" studies. It has been shown that the "integrative" papers have more chance of appearing in a top-ranking journal and gain relatively more citations as compared with non-integrative papers. The obtained results are discussed in the context of the "taxonomic impediment" problem thought to be a consequence of the institutional crisis of traditional taxonomy, which has been vividly debated over the past decades.

Establishing a new species group of Pseudopoda Jäger, 2000 with the description of two new species (Araneae, Sparassidae)

The huntsman spider genus Pseudopoda Jäger, 2000 contains 140 species worldwide, of which 61 have been described from China. In this paper, this knowledge is increased by the description of two new species from Yunnan Province in China. These new species, P.physematosasp. nov. (♀) and P.semilunatasp. nov. (♂♀), are treated with five previously described ones, P.bibulba Xu & Yin, 2000 (♂♀), P.signata Jäger, 2001 (♂♀), P.wu Jäger, Li & Krehenwinkel, 2015 (♂♀), P.yinae Jäger & Vedel, 2007 (♂), and P.yunnanensis Yang & Hu, 2001 (♂♀), as the newly defined Pseudopodasignata species group. The P.signata group can be distinguished from other groups within Pseudopoda by the male palps with long, slightly broad, S-shaped embolus, small but distinct tegular apophysis, pronounced dRTA and reduced vRTA, and by the female with V-shaped or W-shaped anterior margins of lateral lobes, membranous and wide first winding, long and strongly curved SIDS (sclerotised internal duct system), the latter mostly covered by the first winding. The monophyly of this group is also supported by molecular phylogenetic results mainly based on Chinese Pseudopoda species. In addition, photographs of P.bibulba (♂♀), P.signata (♂♀), and P.yunnanensis (♂♀) are provided. P.bibulba is newly recorded from Guizhou Province and P.signata is newly recorded from Yunnan Province.

Untangling a mess of worms: Species delimitations reveal morphological crypsis and variability in Southeast Asian semi-aquatic earthworms (Almidae, Glyphidrilus)

Semi-aquatic freshwater earthworms in the genus Glyphidrilus from Southeast Asia are characterized by both an extreme morphological crypsis among divergent phylogenetic lineages and a high morphological variability within the same phylogenetic lineages. The present study provides a new taxonomic framework for this problematic genus in SE Asia by integrating DNA sequence and morphological data. When single-locus and multilocus multispecies coalescent-based (MSC) species delimitation methods were applied to DNA sequence data, they usually yielded highly incongruent results compared to morphology-based species identifications. This suggested the presence of several cryptic species and high levels of intraspecific morphological variation. Applying reciprocal monophyly to the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene tree allowed us to propose the existence of 33 monophyletic species. Yet, often substantially more molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) were obtained when species delimitation was based on COI and 16S rRNA sequences. In contrast, the ITS1 and ITS2 sequences suggested fewer MOTUs and did not recover most of the monophyletic species from the Mekong basin. However, several of these latter taxa were better supported when MSC species delimitation methods were applied to the combined mtDNA and ITS datasets. The ITS2 secondary structure retrieved one unnamed Mekong basin species that was not uncovered by the other methods when applied to ITS2 sequences. In conclusion, based on an integrative taxonomic workflow, 26 Glyphidrilus candidate species were retained and two remained to be confirmed. As such, this study provides evidence to suggest nine species new to science and to synonymize 12 nominal morphospecies. It also illustrates that the uncritical use of COI as a universal DNA barcode may overestimate species diversity because COI may be unable to distinguish between divergent conspecific lineages and different candidate species.

Assembling a DNA barcode reference library for the spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Pakistan

Morphological study of 1,795 spiders from sites across Pakistan placed these specimens in 27 families and 202 putative species. COI sequences >400 bp recovered from 1,782 specimens were analyzed using neighbor-joining trees, Bayesian inference, barcode gap, and Barcode Index Numbers (BINs). Specimens of 109 morphological species were assigned to 123 BINs with ten species showing BIN splits, while 93 interim species included representatives of 98 BINs. Maximum conspecific divergences ranged from 0-5.3% while congeneric distances varied from 2.8-23.2%. Excepting one species pair (Oxyopes azhari-Oxyopes oryzae), the maximum intraspecific distance was always less than the nearest-neighbor (NN) distance. Intraspecific divergence values were not significantly correlated with geographic distance. Most (75%) BINs detected in this study were new to science, while those shared with other nations mainly derived from India. The discovery of many new, potentially endemic species and the low level of BIN overlap with other nations highlight the importance of constructing regional DNA barcode reference libraries.

Sixteen new species of the genus Pseudopoda Jäger, 2000 from China, Myanmar, and Thailand (Sparassidae, Heteropodinae)

Sixteen new species of Pseudopoda Jäger, 2000 (Sparassidae, Heteropodinae) are described. Among them, eight species were collected from China: P.chayuensis Zhao & Li, sp. n. (♂), P.conaensis Zhao & Li, sp. n. (♂), P.medogensis Zhao & Li, sp. n. (♂), P.nyingchiensis Zhao & Li, sp. n. (♂), P.shacunensis Zhao & Li, sp. n. (♂), P.shuo Zhao & Li, sp. n. (♂♀), P.yuanjiangensis Zhao & Li, sp. n. (♀) and P.zixiensis Zhao & Li, sp. n. (♂); seven from Myanmar: P.colubrina Zhao & Li, sp. n. (♂♀), P.daxing Zhao & Li, sp. n. (♂), P.gexiao Zhao & Li, sp. n. (♂), P.putaoensis Zhao & Li, sp. n. (♂), P.subbirmanica Zhao & Li, sp. n. (♂♀), P.titan Zhao & Li, sp. n. (♂♀), P.xia Zhao & Li, sp. n. (♂); and one from Thailand: P.maeklongensis Zhao & Li, sp. n. (♂). A distribution map of the new species is also provided.

DNA Barcoding and Taxonomic Challenges in Describing New Putative Species: Examples from Sootywing and Cloudywing Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae)

DNA barcoding has resulted in the ‘discovery’ of a vast number of new species and subspecies. Assigning formal scientific names to these taxa remains a major challenge. Names sometimes are newly designated. Alternatively, available valid names can be resurrected from synonymy, based on barcode analyses together with classical taxonomic characters. For the most part, however, new putative species revealed by barcoding studies go undescribed. This situation is most often attributed to insufficient taxonomic expertise with the authors conducting the study, together with a critical lack of formally trained taxonomists. However, even with formal training, and additional supportive data from morphological, ecological or life history characters, other factors can arise that impede new species descriptions. In the present paper, several specific taxonomic challenges that have arisen from barcode analyses in two groups of skipper butterflies (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae), the Sootywings (Pholisora catullus and P. mejicanus) and the Coyote Cloudywing (Achalarus toxeus) are highlighted and discussed. Both P. catullus and A. toxeus show relatively large intraspecific genetic divergences of barcodes (2–3%) which suggests the possibility of previously unrecognized cryptic speciation within each group. Some of the challenges to providing formal names and clarifying taxonomic status of these cryptic taxa could be largely overcome by (1) barcoding type specimens, (2) clarifying imprecise and often vague or suspect type localities, and (3) by conducting in-depth comparative studies on genitalic morphology.

DNA-barcoding of forensically important blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in the Caribbean Region

Correct identification of forensically important insects, such as flies in the family Calliphoridae, is a crucial step for them to be used as evidence in legal investigations. Traditional identification based on morphology has been effective, but has some limitations when it comes to identifying immature stages of certain species. DNA-barcoding, using COI, has demonstrated potential for rapid and accurate identification of Calliphoridae, however, this gene does not reliably distinguish among some recently diverged species, raising questions about its use for delimitation of species of forensic importance. To facilitate DNA based identification of Calliphoridae in the Caribbean we developed a vouchered reference collection from across the region, and a DNA sequence database, and further added the nuclear ITS2 as a second marker to increase accuracy of identification through barcoding. We morphologically identified freshly collected specimens, did phylogenetic analyses and employed several species delimitation methods for a total of 468 individuals representing 19 described species. Our results show that combination of COI + ITS2 genes yields more accurate identification and diagnoses, and better agreement with morphological data, than the mitochondrial barcodes alone. All of our results from independent and concatenated trees and most of the species delimitation methods yield considerably higher diversity estimates than the distance based approach and morphology. Molecular data support at least 24 distinct clades within Calliphoridae in this study, recovering substantial geographic variation for Lucilia eximia, Lucilia retroversa, Lucilia rica and Chloroprocta idioidea, probably indicating several cryptic species. In sum, our study demonstrates the importance of employing a second nuclear marker for barcoding analyses and species delimitation of calliphorids, and the power of molecular data in combination with a complete reference database to enable identification of taxonomically and geographically diverse insects of forensic importance.