DNA barcoding

At the BioSense Institute we are applying DNA barcoding in order to resolve hidden diversity of hoverflies. This approach enables us to resolve cryptic hoverfly species, but it is also important for identification of juvenile stadiums to the species level. During the last couple of years, we have been developing the DNA barcode library of hoverfly species. By comparing the DNA barcode sequence from a new specimen against the DNA barcoding library we are able to determine if the specimen belongs to a known species or it is a new finding. Apart from 5’COI gene sequence which is accepted as official DNA barcode, in our studies we also use 3’COI gene sequence as well as additional nuclear molecular markers such as internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) and a part of 28S rRNA gene sequence. Additionally, we are working on a new project dedicated to the development of multiple amplicons approach for DNA barcoding of hoverflies using next-generation sequencing (NGS).