DNA Barcodes and Morphology Reveal Five New Species of Phanerotoma (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Cheloninae) from China

TL;DR

Scientists discovered five new species of a wasp genus in China using DNA barcoding and physical traits.

Contribution

The study introduces five new Phanerotoma species identified through DNA barcoding and morphology.

Findings

Five new Phanerotoma species were identified in China using DNA barcoding and morphological analysis.

A comprehensive dataset of 92 COI sequences was generated for Phanerotoma species.

The study used ABGD and bPTP methods to delimit species and infer phylogeny.

Abstract

The genus Phanerotoma Wesmael, 1838 comprises important parasitoid natural enemies of lepidopteran pests. Currently, approximately 300 species of Phanerotoma have been reported worldwide. However, the lack of host information often leads to the inability of traditional taxonomic methods to distinguish some cryptic species, thus making it essential to incorporate DNA barcoding for species identification. In the present study, analysis of 92 COI sequences combined with morphological evidence led to the discovery of five new Phanerotoma species in China.

The genus Phanerotoma Wesmael, 1838 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Cheloninae, Phane- rotomini) is distributed across all six major zoogeographical regions, with the highest species diversity recorded in the Palaearctic Region. DNA barcoding provides a robust method for species identification, yet its effectiveness for the genus Phanerotoma is limited by the scarcity of reliable, species-level data from specific regions in public databases. This gap makes it essential to contribute comprehensive genetic resources to advance taxonomic research. This study presents a comprehensive COI dataset of 92 sequences for the genus Phanerotoma, employing both the Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD) method for species delimitation and the bPTP model for phylogenetic inference. The integrated analytical approach revealed 18 distinct species, including five new species; all species new to science are described and illustrated, and updates of the most recent key to the Chinese species are included.

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