Morphological and Molecular identification of firefly (<i>Abscondita</i> sp.) from Nsukka Nigeria

Abstract

The beetle family Lampyridae (fireflies) are fascinating group of insects known for their characteristic lighting patterns. The light of firefly is produced from their abdomen by a chemical reaction of the organic compound luciferase. There is lack of information on the species composition and biodiversity of fireflies in Africa despite the speculations that Africa is the richest continent in firefly species diversity. To date, there is no taxonomic key for morphological identification of fireflies of Africa. In addition, there is no reference DNA barcodes for African fireflies in GenBank to enhance species identification using DNA barcoding. These knowledge gaps hamper the study and harnessing the economic and ecological benefits of fireflies in the ecosystem in the continent. The objective of this study was to identify a species of firefly collected in Nsukka using both morphological and molecular methods to encourage and kickstart research on fireflies in Africa. The firefly was collected in the study area using direct capture with the aid of insect net. The species was identified using picture vouchers and keys from Canada and South East Asia. The firefly was identified as Abscondita anceyi using morphological method. Molecular method employed amplified and sequenced 658 bp of the barcode region of the COI gene of the firefly samples. DNA barcoding showed the firefly has a similarity of 89.06% with Abscondita chinensis. Molecular phylogeny based on the COI gene clustered the samples with Abscondita chinensis but in a different branch of the tree. The firefly thus belongs to the genus Abscondita but its specific name is yet to be determined. This is the first barcode of fireflies of the subfamily Luciolinae in Africa. We call for a follow up in documenting fireflies of Africa to harness their benefits in the environment.