A Reference Database for the DNA-Based Identification of North American Calliphorinae

Abstract

DNA-based species identifications are a robust tool for the forensic entomologist to identify immature or damaged specimens to species or genus taxonomic levels for further forensic analyses. However, much of that identification is dependent on the use of a reliable database that encompasses all species possible for a given geographic area. Here, we queried databases for DNA records of COI sequence data of 18 species of Calliphorinae present in North America to determine the applicability and reliability of DNA-based identifications, and to provide a resource for the community. Our results indicate that approximately 650bp of the standard DNA barcode is sufficient to classify most Calliphorinae species, however, some species the ~650bp COI barcode is insufficient to resolve to species for the North American Calliphorinae subfamily. We tested this reference dataset by selecting records that were deemed reliable (using the same criteria as establishing the reference dataset) to test the accuracy of the identifications based on DNA COI sequences and found that all test specimens were accurately identified except for the two paraphyletic species present in the dataset. We furthermore state what species can and cannot be reliably classified and provide guidance on using this database in future applications.