A database and checklist of geometrid moths (Lepidoptera) from Colombia

Leidys Murillo-Ramos, Pasi Sihvonen, Gunnar Brehm, Indiana C. Ríos-Malaver, Niklas Wahlberg

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background Molecular DNA sequence data allow unprecedented advances in biodiversity assessments, monitoring schemes and taxonomic works, particularly in poorly-explored areas. They allow, for instance, the sorting of material rapidly into operational taxonomic units (such as BINs - Barcode Index Numbers), sequences can be subject to diverse analyses and, with linked metadata and physical vouchers, they can be examined further by experts. However, a prerequisite for their exploitation is the construction of reference libraries of DNA sequences that represent the existing biodiversity. To achieve these goals for Geometridae (Lepidoptera) moths in Colombia, expeditions were carried out to 26 localities in the northern part of the country in 2015–2019. The aim was to collect specimens and sequence their DNA barcodes and to record a fraction of the species richness and occurrences in one of the most biodiversity-rich countries. These data are the beginning of an identification guide to Colombian geometrid moths, whose identities are currently often provisional only, being morpho species or operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Prior to the current dataset, 99 Geometridae sequences forming 44 BINs from Colombia were publicly available on the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD), covering 20 species only.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-18
Number of pages18
JournalBiodiversity Data Journal
Volume9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Biological Systematics

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