Species identification of wood-boring beetles using mtDNA from gallery frass

Identification of wood-boring beetles, especially those from the families Buprestidae and Cerambycidae, is often a difficult process. Generally, high-quality adult specimens are needed for accurate identification to species. Slow or inaccurate identifications can complicate both pest surveys and ecological studies. However, recent advances in the field of molecular diagnostics have opened up novel avenues for species identification. We sought to use mtDNA, extracted from larval frass, to identify these insects to the species level. By using a series of nested polymerase chain reactions and insect specific primers we were able to reliably amplify a 115 bp region of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene. Since the region we chose to amplify is internal to existing regions used for DNA barcoding, samples can quickly be compared to online databases for identification. This procedure will provide a quick and accurate method for identifying potential invasive pest species as well as open new possibilities for ecological studies. .