Taxonomic identification accuracy from BOLD and GenBank databases using over a thousand insect DNA barcodes from Colombia.

Recent declines of insect populations at high rates have resulted in the need to develop a quick method to determine their diversity and to process massive data for the identification of species of highly diverse groups. A short sequence of DNA from COI is widely used for insect identification by comparing it against sequences of known species. Repositories of sequences are available online with tools that facilitate matching of the sequences of interest to a known individual. However, the performance of these tools can differ. Here we aim to assess the accuracy in identification of insect taxonomic categories from two repositories, BOLD Systems and GenBank. This was done by comparing the sequence matches between the taxonomist identification and the suggested identification from the platforms. We used 1,160 COI sequences representing eight orders of insects from Colombia. After the comparison, we reanalyzed the results from a representative subset of the data from the subfamily Scarabaeinae (Coleoptera). Overall, BOLD systems outperformed GenBank, and the performance of both engines differed by orders and other taxonomic categories (species, genus and family). Higher rates of accurate identification were obtained at family and genus levels. The accuracy was higher in BOLD for the order Coleoptera at family level, for Coleoptera and Lepidoptera at genus and species level. Other orders performed similarly in both repositories. Moreover, the Scarabaeinae subset showed that species were correctly identified only when BOLD match percentage was above 93.4% and a total of 85% of the samples were correctly assigned to a taxonomic category. These results accentuate the great potential of the identification engines to place insects accurately into their respective taxonomic categories based on DNA barcodes and highlight the reliability of BOLD Systems for insect identification in the absence of a large reference database for a highly diverse country.

Comments on the neglected nymphs of mud crickets in the genus Mirhipipteryx (Caelifera: Tridactyloidea: Ripipterygidae).

Mud crickets (family Ripipterygidae) comprise a small family of orthopterans distributed throughout much of the Neotropics, but knowledge of this groups' biology, ecology and distribution remains poor in comparison to most orthopteran taxa. Here we review the state of knowledge of nymphs in the genus Mirhipipteryx Günther 1969 and report the genus from Belize for the second time in 86 years. Because information about nymphs in this family is so scarce and nymphs are often neglected in species descriptions, we include comments on the coloration of nymphs for Mirhipipteryx pulicaria (Saussure 1896). Caution is suggested for the use of adult characters for the identification of immatures stages in the group. Nymphs of Mirhipipteryx pulicaria pulicaria are similar in coloration patterns to the adults, but lighter. Mirhipipteryx lobata Günther 1977 is designated a nomen nudum.

First records of Dentridactylinae (Orthoptera: Tridactylidae) from Colombia, with description of two new species of Dentridactylus Günther.

Two new species of Dentridactylus Günther (Orthoptera: Tridactylidae) are described and illustrated: Dentridactylus quadratus sp. nov. and Dentridactylus truncatus sp. nov. The new species represent the first record of the subfamily Dentridactylinae from Colombia and the second record for the Americas. Both come from the south of the country and are readily separated from congeners by their larger body size; D. quadratus sp. nov. is further delimited by the quadrate outline of the epiproct, and D. truncatus sp. nov. by the epiproct with lateral lobes and lateral margin of epiproct not indented. Keys for the identification of species in the Americas are provided.

Three new species of the genus Ripipteryx from Colombia (Orthoptera, Ripipterygidae).

Three new species of Ripipteryx Newman (Orthoptera: Tridactyloidea: Ripipterygidae) are described from Colombia; namely Ripipteryxdiegoi sp. n. (Forceps Group) and Ripipteryxguacharoensis sp. n. (Marginipennis Group) from Parque Nacional Natural Cueva de los Guacharos in Huila, and Ripipteryxgorgonaensis sp. n. (Crassicornis Group) from Parque Nacional Natural Gorgona in Cauca. Ripipteryxdiegoi sp. n. is characterized by the antennae black with white spots on flagellomeres 3-7, male subgenital plate with median ridge forming a bilobed setose process, epiproct produced laterally near its base and phallic complex with virga thickened distally and not reaching beyond the membrane. Ripipteryxguacharoensis sp. n. is characterized by the antennae thick with white spots present dorsally on flagellomeres 1-4 and 8, epiproct narrow and triangular, uncus reduced and lacking a distal hook, phallic complex with a concave ventral plate and a dorsal elevation in the middle extended to the virga, and the virga itself with two small projections basally. Ripipteryxgorgonaensis sp. n. is characterized by the epiproct with a lateral notch, antennae with a white dorsal spot on flagellomere 1 and flagellomeres 4-7 entirely white. The antennal color pattern of Ripipteryxgorgonaensis sp. n. strongly resembles that of Ripipteryxatra but differs from the latter in the absence of any significant morphological modification of the flagellomeres.

ResumenSe describen tres nuevas especies de Ripipteryx Newman (Orthoptera: Tridactyloidea: Ripipterygidae) provenientes de Colombia; son nombradas Ripipteryxdiegoisp. n. (Grupo Forceps) y Ripipteryxguacharoensissp. n. (Grupo Marginipennis) encontradas en el Parque Nacional Natural Cueva de los Guacharos en Huila y Ripipteryxgorgonaensissp. n. encontrada en el Parque Nacional Natural Gorgona en Cauca. Ripipteryxdiegoisp. n. se reconoce por presentar antenas negras con mancha blanca en flagelómeros 3­7, placa subgenital con proceso medial bilobulado con setas, epiprocto extendido lateralmente cerca a la base y complejo fálico con virga engrosada distalmente que no se extiende más allá de la membrana. Ripipteryxguacharoensissp. n. se reconoce por presentar antenas gruesas con mancha dorsal blanca en flagelómeros 1­4 y 8, epiprocto angosto y triangular, uncus reducido y sin gancho distal, y complejo fálico con placa ventral cóncava y con elevación dorsomedial extendida hasta la virga, virga basalmente con dos puntas cortas. Ripipteryxgorgonaensissp. n. se caracteriza por presentar epiprocto con muesca lateral, antenas con mancha dorsal blanca en flagelómero 1 y flagelómeros 4­7 completamente blancos. El patrón de coloración antenal en Ripipteryxgorgonaensissp. n. es similar al de Ripipteryxatra pero se diferencia de esta especie por la ausencia de modificaciones morfológicas en los flagelómeros.