Mitochondrial Cytochrome c Oxidase Subunit I (COI) Gene for Identification of Stink Bugs: Review

Abstract

Crop losses by plant pests have been a major global concern and hence various techniques have been introduced the control such pests. Pests like stink bugs have known to cause considerable damage to crops. As a result, understanding their taxonomy is crucial, hence DNA based techniques like DNA barcoding have been introduced to augment the identification of stink bugs. A short fragment of mitochondrial Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I (COI) gene can be used for host-specific identification of the stink bugs. Though this methodology is not fully reliable, the arena is open for research with appropriate changes in current data and hence can help to identify these bugs and probably other similar arthropods. In this review, species identification of stink bugs by assessing COI gene has been described briefly along with statistical methods like neighbor-joining for biomonitoring the pests.