The real maccoyii: identifying tuna sushi with DNA barcodes--contrasting characteristic attributes and genetic distances.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The use of DNA barcodes for the identification of described species is one of the least controversial and most promising applications of barcoding. There is no consensus, however, as to what constitutes an appropriate identification standard and most barcoding efforts simply attempt to pair a query sequence with reference sequences and deem identification successful if it falls within the bounds of some pre-established cutoffs using genetic distance. Since the Renaissance, however, most biological classification schemes have relied on the use of diagnostic characters to identify and place species.

Methodology/principal findings

Here we developed a cytochrome c oxidase subunit I character-based key for the identification of all tuna species of the genus Thunnus, an

SUBMITTER: Lowenstein JH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2773415 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature