A molecular-based identification resource for the arthropods of Finland

Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors. Molecular Ecology Resources published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.To associate specimens identified by molecular characters to other biological knowledge, we need reference sequences annotated by Linnaean taxonomy. In this study, we (1) report the creation of a comprehensive reference library of DNA barcodes for the arthropods of an entire country (Finland), (2) publish this library, and (3) deliver a new identification tool for insects and spiders, as based on this resource. The reference library contains mtDNA COI barcodes for 11,275 (43%) of 26,437 arthropod species known from Finland, including 10,811 (45%) of 23,956 insect species. To quantify the improvement in identification accuracy enabled by the current reference library, we ran 1000 Finnish insect and spider species through the Barcode of Life Data system (BOLD) identification engine. Of these, 91% were correctly assigned to a unique species when compared to the new reference library alone, 85% were correctly identified when compared to BOLD with the new material included, and 75% with the new material excluded. To capitalize on this resource, we used the new reference material to train a probabilistic taxonomic assignment tool, FinPROTAX, scoring high success. For the full-length barcode region, the accuracy of taxonomic assignments at the level of classes, orders, families, subfamilies, tribes, genera, and species reached 99.9%, 99.9%, 99.8%, 99.7%, 99.4%, 96.8%, and 88.5%, respectively. The FinBOL arthropod reference library and FinPROTAX are available through the Finnish Biodiversity Information Facility (www.laji.fi) at https://laji.fi/en/theme/protax. Overall, the FinBOL investment represents a massive capacity-transfer from the taxonomic community of Finland to all sectors of society.Peer reviewe

A molecular-based identification resource for the arthropods of Finland

To associate specimens identified by molecular characters to other biological knowledge, we need reference sequences annotated by Linnaean taxonomy. In this study, we (1) report the creation of a comprehensive reference library of DNA barcodes for the arthropods of an entire country (Finland), (2) publish this library, and (3) deliver a new identification tool for insects and spiders, as based on this resource. The reference library contains mtDNA COI barcodes for 11,275 (43%) of 26,437 arthropod species known from Finland, including 10,811 (45%) of 23,956 insect species. To quantify the improvement in identification accuracy enabled by the current reference library, we ran 1000 Finnish insect and spider species through the Barcode of Life Data system (BOLD) identification engine. Of these, 91% were correctly assigned to a unique species when compared to the new reference library alone, 85% were correctly identified when compared to BOLD with the new material included, and 75% with the new material excluded. To capitalize on this resource, we used the new reference material to train a probabilistic taxonomic assignment tool, FinPROTAX, scoring high success. For the full-length barcode region, the accuracy of taxonomic assignments at the level of classes, orders, families, subfamilies, tribes, genera, and species reached 99.9%, 99.9%, 99.8%, 99.7%, 99.4%, 96.8%, and 88.5%, respectively. The FinBOL arthropod reference library and FinPROTAX are available through the Finnish Biodiversity Information Facility (www.laji.fi) at https://laji.fi/en/theme/protax. Overall, the FinBOL investment represents a massive capacity-transfer from the taxonomic community of Finland to all sectors of society.</p

Fungus gnats (Diptera: Bolitophilidae, Diadocidiidae, Ditomyiidae, Keroplatidae and Mycetophilidae) from Møre og Romsdal.

Faunistic data on fungus gnats from the county of Møre og Romsdal in Norway are presented and all species known from the county are summarized in a checklist. Treatment of some 23000 specimens, collected with one Malaise trap and one window trap for a whole year each, resulted in the identifi cation of 315 species from a single site at Jordalsgrend, Sunndal municipality. Material from three other localities in Møre og Romsdal and a few previously published records adds 42 species, bringing the total up to 357 species belonging to the families Bolitophilidae (11), Diadocidiidae (6), Ditomyiidae (2), Keroplatidae (11) and Mycetophilidae (327). Ten of the species are considered to be new to science and three species represented with single females could not be identifi ed to species level. Records of 57 species are published for the fi rst time from Norway, including three species that have been listed from Norway without any published records. The 34 species included in the Norwegian 2006 Red Data List are commented on. The high species diversity found at Jordalsgrend reveals a new picture when compared with other surveys in the Nordic region, and may have implications for future forest management, as boreal-oceanic, old-growth, deciduous forests are underrepresented in most conservation plans

On the identity of Pseudexechia parallela (Edwards, 1925) (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) and description of a new related species from Great Britain

Volume: 19Start Page: 41End Page: 4

A new species of Macrorrhyncha Winnertz from NW Europe, (Diptera, Keroplatidae)

Closer examination of material of Macrorrhyncha rostrata Zetterstedt, 1851 from Sweden revealed a mixture of two closely related species of which one, M. hugoi sp. n. is described based on type material from Southern Sweden and Southern England. The new species includes all known records of M. rostrata from England and the Channel Islands. Records of M. rostrata from continental Europe need to be verified.