Phylogenetic Analysis of Three Green Lacewing Species (Neuropetra, Chrysopidae) Based on the Mitochondrial COI Gene

PurposeTo verify the feasibility of DNA barcoding in Chrysopidae species, phylogenetic analyses of lacewing species were based on the sequencing of mitochondrial COI gene.

MethodsTwelve sequences (fragment of COI gene) of three common green lacewing species from different regions were sequenced in this study. The sequences were assembled by using DNAMAN software, and nine lacewing species were downloaded from GeneBank. The analyses were performed with MEGA 7.0 software, including base composition and substitution, the genetic distance, and the phylogenetic trees of total 23 sequences.

ResultsThere were 469 conserved sites, 188 variation sites, 150 parsimony information sites, and 38 singleton sites on the mitochondrial COI gene. The content of A, T, G, and C base in all sites was 28.6%, 41.1%, 15.4%, and 14.9%, respectively. The content of A+T base was up to 69.7% and higher than G+C base, showing A+T base preference. The intraspecific genetic distance ranged from 0 to 0.005. Interspecific distances ranged between 0.022 and 0.184. The phylogenetic tree built by the maximum likelihood and neighbor-joining method showed that the species in the same genus can be clustered into the same branch with high branch bootstrap values.

ConclusionThe technology of DNA barcoding based on the COI gene sequence is applicable in the classification and identification of green lacewing species.