Publications by J.R. deWaard

A Comprehensive DNA Barcode Library for the Looper Moths (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) of British Columbia, Canada

Wed, 06 Apr 2011

Background The construction of comprehensive reference libraries is essential to foster the development of DNA barcoding as a tool for monitoring biodiversity and detecting invasive species. The looper moths of British Columbia (BC), Canada present a challenging case for species discrimination via DNA barcoding due to their considerable diversity and limited taxonomic maturity.

Methodology/Principal Findings By analyzing specimens held in national and regional natural history collections, we assemble barcode records from representatives of 400 species from BC and surrounding provinces, territories and states. Sequence variation in the barcode region unambiguously discriminates over 93% of these 400 geometrid species. However, a final estimate of resolution success awaits detailed taxonomic analysis of 48 species where patterns of barcode variation suggest cases of cryptic species, unrecognized synonymy as well as young species.

Conclusions/Significance A catalog of these taxa meriting further taxonomic investigation is presented as well as the supplemental information needed to facilitate these investigations.

Common goals: policy implications of DNA barcoding as a protocol for identification of arthropod pests

Tue, 22 Mar 2011

The globalization of commerce carries with it significant biological risks concerning the spread of harmful organisms. International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) No. 27, ‘‘Diagnostic Protocols for Regulated Pests’’, sets out the standards governing protocols for the detection and identification of plant pest species. We argue that DNA barcoding—the use of short, standardized DNA sequences for species identification—is a methodology which should be incorporated into standard diagnostic protocols, as it holds great promise for the rapid identification of species of economic importance, notably arthropods. With a well-defined set of techniques and rigorous standards of data quality and transparency, DNA barcoding already meets or exceeds the minimum standards required for diagnostic protocols under ISPM No. 27. We illustrate the relevance of DNA barcoding to phytosanitary concerns and advocate the development of policy at the national and international levels to expand the scope of barcode coverage for arthropods globally.

DNA barcoding identifies the first North American records of the Eurasian moth, Eupithecia pusillata (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

Tue, 22 Mar 2011

The first North American records of the juniper pug moth, Eupithecia pusillata (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), brought to our attention using DNA barcoding, are presented. Documentation and collection localities suggest it was introduced, established, and likely has persisted, at least in the Greater Vancouver area of British Columbia since the mid-1970s. We discuss the integration of DNA barcoding into routine biosurveillance and forest insect surveys to prevent such delay in recognition of non-indigenous species—in this case, 34 years.

Towards a Global Barcode Library for Lymantria (Lepidoptera: Lymantriinae) Tussock Moths of Biosecurity Concern

Mon, 21 Mar 2011

Background Detecting and controlling the movements of invasive species, such as insect pests, relies upon rapid and accurate species identification in order to initiate containment procedures by the appropriate authorities. Many species in the tussock moth genus Lymantria are significant forestry pests, including the gypsy moth Lymantria dispar L., and consequently have been a focus for the development of molecular diagnostic tools to assist in identifying species and source populations. In this study we expand the taxonomic and geographic coverage of the DNA barcode reference library, and further test the utility of this diagnostic method, both for species/subspecies assignment and for determination of geographic provenance of populations.

Methodology/Principal Findings Cytochrome oxidase I (COI) barcodes were obtained from 518 individuals and 36 species of Lymantria, including sequences assembled and generated from previous studies, vouchered material in public collections, and intercepted specimens obtained from surveillance programs in Canada. A maximum likelihood tree was constructed, revealing high bootstrap support for 90% of species clusters. Bayesian species assignment was also tested, and resulted in correct assignment to species and subspecies in all instances. The performance of barcoding was also compared against the commonly employed NB restriction digest system (also based on COI); while the latter is informative for discriminating gypsy moth subspecies, COI barcode sequences provide greater resolution and generality by encompassing a greater number of haplotypes across all Lymantria species, none shared between species.

Conclusions/Significance This study demonstrates the efficacy of DNA barcodes for diagnosing species of Lymantria and reinforces the view that the approach is an under-utilized resource with substantial potential for biosecurity and surveillance. Biomonitoring agencies currently employing the NB restriction digest system would gather more information by transitioning to the use of DNA barcoding, a change which could be made relatively seamlessly as the same gene region underlies both protocols.

In the dark in a large urban park: DNA barcodes illuminate cryptic and introduced moth species

Mon, 25 Oct 2010

To facilitate future assessments of diversity following disturbance events, we conducted a first level inventory of nocturnal Lepidoptera in Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada. To aid the considerable task, we employed high-throughput DNA barcoding for the rough sorting of all material and for tentative species identifications, where possible. We report the preliminary species list of 190, the detection of four new exotic species (Argyresthia pruniella, Dichelia histrionana, Paraswammerdamia lutarea, and Prays fraxinella), and the potential discovery of two cryptic species. We describe the magnitude of assistance that barcoding presents for faunal inventories, from reducing specialist time to facilitating the detection of native and exotic species at low density.

Delayed recognition of the European poplar shoot borer, Gypsonoma aceriana (Duponchel) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Canada

Mon, 25 Oct 2010

The long-term presence of Gypsonoma aceriana (Duponchel) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Olethreutinae), a European shoot-boring pest of poplars, was discovered in British Columbia during examination of cytochrome c oxidase I sequences of voucher specimens deposited in the Canadian Forest Service, Pacific Forestry Centre, arthropod reference collection. Originally identified as a species of Epiblema, G. aceriana was first recovered in BC in 1980, almost 20 years before it was reported in Washington State. DNA barcodes from both larval and adult collections are demonstrated to be conspecific with an adult collection from Great Britain. Preliminary surveys of early and late instar larval feeding damage in southwestern British Columbia demonstrate that this shoot borer is established on southern Vancouver Island and throughout the lower mainland of the province. The eastern-most collections made to date include locations near Yale in the Fraser Canyon, from the lower Coquihalla River watershed and from Hope.

First Canadian records of Lampropteryx suffumata ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) (Geometridae: Larentiinae)

Mon, 04 Apr 2011

The first Canadian records of the Holarctic species Lampropteryx suffumata ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) are documented, based on collections from Alberta and British Columbia. Widespread and common throughout much of Eurasia, the larvae feed on Galium species (Rubiaceae). Diagnostic descriptions and images are provided to aid in future recognition of this species. The specimens were originally detected while constructing a DNA barcoding library for western North American Geometridae, and provide a good example of how genetic methods can enhance the construction of regional inventories and aid in surveillance for invasive species.