Assessing the Usefulness of DNA Barcoding to Identify Oxycarenus hyalinipennis (Hemiptera: Oxycarenidae) in Florida, a Potentially Invasive Pest of Cotton
Abstract
Invasive insects present an ongoing challenge to the safety of U.S. agriculture. A current threat to the U.S. cotton industry is Oxycarenus hyalinipennis (Costa), commonly known as the cotton seed bug. Populations are found throughout most of the world except for North America, and the southeastern U.S. is believed to provide a favorable environment for its establishment. A major component in efforts to control the spread of invasive pests is the rapid and accurate identification of intercepted specimens. Unfortunately, O. hyalinipennis belongs to an incompletely characterized taxon where the assignment of species identity by simple morphological keys is often problematic. In this study, we assessed the potential of DNA barcoding to facilitate the identification of the cotton seed bug in field-collected specimens.Resumen: Insectos invasores presentan un desafío permanente para la seguridad de la agricultura de los Estados Unidos. Una amenaza actual a la industria del algodón en los EE.UU. es Oxycarenus hyalinipennis (Costa), comúnmente conocido como el chinche de la semilla de algodón. Se encuentran poblaciones de esta especie alrededor del mundo, menos América del Norte y se cree que el sureste de los EE.UU. puede proveer un ambiente favorable para su establecimiento. Un componente importante en los esfuerzos para controlar el esparcimiento de plagas invasoras es la identificación rápida y precisa de especies interceptadas. Desafortunadamente, O. hyalinipennis pertenece a un taxón que es pobremente caracterizado, donde la asignación de identidad de la especie por claves morfológicas simples suele ser problemática. En este estudio, se evaluó el potencial de los códigos de barras de ADN para facilitar la identificación de especimenes del chinche de semilla de algodón recolectados en el campo.
View this article in BioOne
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright for any article published in Florida Entomologist is held by the author(s) of the article. Florida Entomologist is an open access journal. Florida Entomologist follows terms of the Creative Commons, Attribution Non-Commercial License (cc by-nc). By submitting and publishing articles in Florida Entomologist, authors grant the FOJ and Florida Entomologist's host institutions permission to make the article available through Internet posting and electronic dissemination, and to otherwise archive the information contained both electronically and in a hard printed version. When used, information and images obtained from articles must be referenced and cited appropriately. Articles may be reproduced for personal, educational, or archival purposes, or any non-commercial use. Permission should be sought from the author(s) for multiple, non-commercial reproduction. Written permission from the author(s) is required for any commercial reproduction.