Molecular identification of important Fly species in Wuhan using COI sequences
Abstract
Calyptratae is one of the most species-rich groups within the suborder Brachycera of Diptera and comprises 20% of the species diversity in this group. Calyptratae represent key model systems in research areas encompassing vector biology, forensic entomology, pollination ecology, and insect natural enemy interactions. Species identification with DNA barcodes has been demonstrated to be effective in different organisms. In this study, 40 species from 6 families and 22 genera of Calyptratae flies commonly found in the Wuhan area were successfully identified by assessing 658 bp of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. Notably, six fly species are reported for the first time in Hubei Province, namely, Sarcophaga nathani, S. haemorrhoidalis, Fannia pusio, Lispe assimilis, L. pumila and Stomoxys uruma. Intraspecific variation ranged from 0% to 0.82%, whereas interspecific variation fluctuated from 1.04% and 18.52% when uncorrected p distances and the Kimura 2-parameter (K2P) model were used, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted using the maximum likelihood (ML) method. The results revealed that our sequences aligned with those of fly species already documented in public databases. For the first time, we characterized DNA barcodes from important fly species in the Wuhan area. This work significantly expanded the global Diptera DNA barcode reference library and provided foundational insights into the phylogeny of the fly fauna of Wuhan.