Identification of Noctuidae and Nolidae (Lepidoptera) Major Crop Pest Species in Iran: A Combination of Morphological and DNA Barcoding Approaches

Larvae of numerous Noctuidae and Nolidae species have significant annual economic losses in agriculture. DNA-based diagnostics have been proposed as an effective way to accelerate the identification and discovery of new species. This study aimed to determine the utility of up to 642 bp Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I (COI) barcodes for identifying 12 major Iranian Noctuidae and Nolidae crop pests and confirming morphological identifications based on classical taxonomy. We combined molecular and morphological analysis to identify 53 specimens collected from populations throughout Iran. The results indicated the presence of a distinct barcode gap for different pest species. The mean interspecific sequence divergence (Kimura 2-parameter) was an order of magnitude (10.0%) greater than the mean intraspecific sequence divergence (0.29%). This combination of DNA and morphological analyses identified 13 species, one of which was previously unknown and may represent a new previously overlooked Earias species. There were no, or very few, sequences from Iran in international databases for some of the test species. Here, we increase the number of specimens from Iran and aid in taxonomic interpretation. The current study will aid in the identification of the most common Noctuidae and Nolidae major pest species in Iran, regardless of the observer’s taxonomic skills, developmental stage of the vouchers, as well as sex, or insect preservation condition. Our data enables researchers and practitioners involved in the bio-surveillance of insect pests to identify taxa based on simple DNA sequence comparisons quickly. DNA barcoding in conjunction with morphological identifications can provide secondary evidence supporting morphological identifications and improve taxonomic resolution.