DNA barcoding is a technique for identifying organisms based on a short, standardized fragment of genomic DNA. The standardized sequence region is called a DNA barcode because it is like a barcode tag for each taxon. Since the proposition of this concept and the launch of a large project named the Barcode of Life, this simple technique has attracted attention from taxonomists, ecologists, conservation biologists, agriculturists, plant-quarantine officers and others, and the number of studies using the DNA barcode has rapidly increased. The extreme diversity of insects and their economical, epidemiological and agricultural importance have made this group a major target of DNA barcoding. However, there is some controversy about the utility of DNA barcoding. In this review, we present an overview of DNA barcoding and its application to entomology. We also introduce current advances and future implications of this promising technique.
Using Japanese literature, we created a consolidated list of host records of butterflies in Japan. The list used the host records described in eight major illustrated reference books, two checklists, and 14 other pieces of literature. The presence of larvae on plants, the observation of larvae eating plants or insects in the field were considered as host records. We collected all species recorded in Japan. Scientific, family, and Japanese names of butterflies were consolidated using the BINRAN data-
Abstract. Taxonomic knowledge provides a scientific name to each organismal group and is thus indispensable information for understanding biodiversity. However, the various perspectives of classifying organisms and changes in taxonomic knowledge have led to inconsistent classification information among different databases and repositories. To have a precise understanding of taxonomy, one needs to integrate relevant data across taxonomic databases. This is difficult to establish due to the ambiguity in taxon interpretation. Most researchers in earlier stages employed the Linked Open Data (LOD) technique to establish links in taxonomy transition. However, they overlooked the temporal representation of taxa and underlying knowledge of the change in taxonomy, so it is difficult for learners to gain perspective on how some identifiers of taxa are linked. To this end, this research is aimed at developing a model for presenting and preserving the change in taxonomic knowledge in the Resource Description Framework (RDF). Specifically, the proposed model takes advantage of linking Internet resources representing taxa, presenting historical information of taxa, and preserving the background knowledge of the change in taxonomic knowledge in order to enable a better understanding of organisms. We implement a prototype to demonstrate the feasibility and the performance of our approach. The results show that the proposed model is able to handle various practical cases of changes in taxonomic works and provides open and accurate access to linked data for biodiversity.
Two new species of micropterigids, Vietomartyria nankunshana Hirowatari & Hashimoto sp. nov. and V. nanlingana Hirowatari & Jinbo sp. nov., are described from Nankunshan and Nanling (Guangdong, China), respectively. The genus Vietomartyria Hashimoto & Mey, 2000, which was originally established as a monotypic genus, is redefined based on the following autapomorphies shared by the three species: (i) the long basal stalk of each flagellomere; (ii) the many (>100) minute serrate projections near the gonopore of aedeagus; and (iii) the gonopore situated dorsally near the apex.
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