\n Astraptes fulgerator\n, first described in 1775, is a common and widely distributed neotropical skipper butterfly (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae). We combine 25 years of natural history observations in northwestern Costa Rica with morphological study and DNA barcoding of museum specimens to show that\n A. fulgerator\n is a complex of at least 10 species in this region. Largely sympatric, these taxa have mostly different caterpillar food plants, mostly distinctive caterpillars, and somewhat different ecosystem preferences but only subtly differing adults with no genitalic divergence. Our results add to the evidence that cryptic species are prevalent in tropical regions, a critical issue in efforts to document global species richness. They also illustrate the value of DNA barcoding, especially when coupled with traditional taxonomic tools, in disclosing hidden diversity.\n

蓟马类害虫种类多、 体型小， 传统的形态学鉴定方法难以快速准确识别。本研究利用DNA条形码通用型引物， 以我国田间常见的25种蓟马为靶标扩增其线粒体DNA细胞色素C氧化酶亚基Ⅰ (mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit Ⅰ gene, mtDNA COⅠ) 基因 (约650 bp)， 通过对靶标片段碱基序列的测序及比对分析， 以邻接法 (NJ法) 构建系统发育树， 并以Kimura双参数模型计算种内、 种间遗传距离。结果表明： 聚类分析与形态学鉴定结果一致， 表现为较长的种间分支和较短的种内分支， 每个单系分支对应一个物种， 同一物种不同单倍型的最初分支自展值均为100%。25种蓟马的种内平均遗传距离为0.0027， 种间平均遗传距离为0.2757， 种间遗传距离为种内遗传距离的102.1倍； 而且种内、 种间遗传距离没有重叠区域。结果说明基于COⅠ基因的DNA条形码技术可以用于不同种类蓟马的快速准确鉴别。

Effective plant quarantine and biological control initiatives require rapid and accurate identification of exotic and potentially invasive taxa that may cause high economic losses or environmental damage. The genus Scirtothrips Shull includes several species that are serious agricultural pests, and, because of their minute size and cryptic behavior, prone to undetected transport through international trade of plant material. Although assigning specimens to the genus Scirtothrips is straightforward using traditional taxonomic methods, identification of species is much more difficult and requires expert knowledge of the genus. Furthermore, the validity of some Scirtothrips species is questionable. Therefore, an easy, accurate, and highly reliable technique is desirable for Scirtothrips identification. Here, we provide a simple molecular key based on the internal transcribed spacer regions 1 and 2 (ITS1 and ITS2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA. Individual specimens can be identified by amplification of their ITS1 and ITS2 regions with general primers and determining the size of the products by using standard agarose gel electrophoresis, followed in some instances by DNA digestion with the restriction enzymes SacII or PspOM I. The advantage of this identification system is that nonspecialists are able to quickly and cheaply identify individual specimens. Material analyzed for this work was collected in the United States (California), India, South Africa, Kenya, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Australia, New Zealand and Raiatea (Society Islands French Polynesia). We have identified seven pest species with the molecular-based methods described here. It is hoped that this system can be extended to other members of the genus as their ITS1 and ITS2 sequences become available. We also provide molecular confirmation for two new Scirtothrips species, one species from Honduras and one species from New Zealand.