A DNA barcode survey of insect biodiversity in Pakistan

Abstract

Although Pakistan has rich biodiversity, many groups are poorly known, particularly insects. To address this gap, we employed DNA barcoding to survey its insect diversity. Specimens obtained through diverse collecting methods at 1,858 sites across Pakistan from 2010–2019 were examined for sequence variation in the 658 bp barcode region of the cytochrome c oxidase 1 (COI) gene. Sequences from nearly 49,000 specimens were assigned to 6,590 Barcode Index Numbers (BINs), a proxy for species, and most (88%) also possessed a representative image on the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD). By coupling morphological inspections with barcode matches on BOLD, every BIN was assigned to an order (19) and most (99.8%) were placed to a family (362). However, just 40% of the BINs were assigned to a genus (1,375) and 21% to a species (1,364). Five orders (Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera) accounted for 92% of the specimens and BINs. More than half of the BINs (59%) are so far only known from Pakistan, but others have also been reported from Bangladesh (13%), India (12%), and China (8%). Representing the first DNA barcode survey of the insect fauna in any South Asian country, this study provides the foundation for a complete inventory of the insect fauna in Pakistan while also contributing to the global DNA barcode reference library.

Assessing arthropod biodiversity with DNA barcoding in Jinnah Garden, Lahore, Pakistan

“…In other research, similar variance in barcode recovery across several arthropod taxa has been documented. The sequence recovery rates ranging from 75% to 80% has been reported in various insect orders ( Park et al, 2011 ; Ashfaq et al, 2022 ). Moreover, similar trends of variation in sequence recovery rates in a broader scope has been reported across Canada, DNA barcoding was performed on 1,500,003 animal specimens across diverse taxonomic levels.…”

Molecular identification of Hymenopteran insects collected by using Malaise traps from Hazarganji Chiltan National Park Quetta, Pakistan

“…Despite this potential capacity, the diversity of Hymenopteran insects in Balochistan has not been adequately explored. For instance, Ashfaq et al [ 75 ] conducted extensive research on identification of dominant insect orders including Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera that were captured by using Malaise traps in Pakistan. Studies have demonstrated that the HCNP, Hingol National Park (HNP) and other protected areas in Balochistan serve as biodiversity hotspots for various insects including bees, wasps, ants and sawflies [ 76 ].…”

New faunistic data on Diptera (Hexapoda, Insecta) from the Ziarat Juniperus forest ecosystem (Pakistan)

“…This could be attributed to DNA contamination or damage during the extraction process. In an insect biodiversity surveillance effort in Pakistan, Ashfaq et al (2022) generated DNA barcodes for 60,273 specimens, leaving 17% of the specimens without DNA barcodes. Similarly, other studies by Geiger et al (2016) and Pentinsaari et al (2020) reported discrepancies in the sequences derived from various insect taxa.…”

“…Pakistan encompasses four distinct biomes ( Afsar and Bano 2013 ), all potentially hosting a high diversity in life forms. However, still little is known about the true diversity of invertebrate fauna, insects in particular and some of these biomes remain poorly investigated ( Ashfaq et al 2022 ). This knowledge gap is particularly marked for the Ziarat Juniper ecosystem, where the few known species are those of phytosanitary interest, such as pests on Juniperus and cultivated plants ( Chaudhry 1979 ).…”

“…Specifically referring to Diptera , the fauna of Pakistan remains largely understudied due to the chronic scarcity of taxonomists ( Scheffers et al 2012 , Dinerstein et al 2017 ) and still much remains to be done to fill the knowledge gap, both with regard to the species presence and their distribution. In recent times, some contributions have started to help in bridging the gap providing important data for the outhern region of Punjab Province ( Bashir et al 2019 , Hassan et al 2017a ), Punjab and Khayber Pakhtunkhua ( Ashfaq et al 2022 ), Azad Jammu & Kashmir ( Hassan et al 2017 , Hassan et al 2021 ) and Gilgit-Baltistan territories ( Fatima and Yang 2022 ) and Sindh, where Syrphidae remains the most-studied family (e.g. Ansari and Memon (2017) , Kanher (2022) ).…”