Multiple species delimitation approaches with COI barcodes poorly fit each other and morphospecies - An integrative taxonomy case of Sri Lankan Sericini chafers (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae).

ABSTRACT: DNA taxonomy including barcoding and metabarcoding is widely used to explore the diversity in biodiversity hotspots. In most of these hotspot areas, chafers are represented by a multitude of species, which are well defined by the complex shape of male genitalia. Here, we explore how well COI barcode data reflect morphological species entities and thus their usability for accelerated species inventorization. We conducted dedicated field surveys in Sri Lanka to collect the species-rich and highly endemic Sericini chafers (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Congruence among results of a series of protocols for de novo species delimitation and with morphology-based species identifications was investigated. Different delimitation methods, such as the Poisson tree processes (PTP) model, Statistic

SUBMITTER: Ranasinghe UGSL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9120212 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature