Eur. J. Entomol. 117: 315-327, 2020 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2020.037

The DNA barcoding project on German Diptera: An appreciative and critical analysis with four suggestions for improving the development and reliability of DNA-based identificationOriginal article

Marion KOTRBA
SNSB-Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Münchhausenstraße 21, D-81247 München, Germany; e-mail: kotrba@snsb.de

The progress in constructing a DNA barcode library for German Diptera as published by Morinière et al. (2019, Mol. Ecol. Resour. 19: 900-928) is appraised from a dipterists' perspective. The coverage of the diversity of German Diptera in terms of barcode index numbers (BINs) and identified barcodes is analysed and visualized in simple diagrams. The influence of the project setup, methodology and/or systematic effects on the emerging numbers and trends is elucidated and extensively discussed. In addition, the documentation on the species identification methods in the database is assessed. Based on this evaluation, four ways for improving the future development, utility and reliability of this DNA database and similar projects in general are identified: (1) Sample the collections of experts. This results in a greater and more reliable coverage within a limited time frame, as opposed to random collecting and relying on a posteriori identification. (2) Give priority to medically, agriculturally or ecologically important families. Addressing these gaps will meet the most pressing needs of the community and serve as a good advertisement for the usefulness and wide applicability of the DNA barcode library. (3) Allocate resources to recruiting established experts as opposed to trainees. The fact that half of the recovered BINs remained unidentified mostly results from the insufficient involvement of experts (and expert time). (4) Appropriately document the morphological identifications by experts in the database. This will allow to assess the reliability of DNA-based identifications and to prioritize conflicting identifications within a BIN accordingly.

Keywords: Diptera, DNA barcoding, GBOL, Germany, BOLD, biodiversity, identification

Received: May 7, 2020; Revised: June 29, 2020; Accepted: June 29, 2020; Published online: July 28, 2020  Show citation

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KOTRBA, M. (2020). The DNA barcoding project on German Diptera: An appreciative and critical analysis with four suggestions for improving the development and reliability of DNA-based identification. EJE, 117, Article 315-327. https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2020.037
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