The neotype barcode of the cotton aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae: Aphis gossypii Glover, 1877) and a proposal for type barcodes

Authors: FAVRET, COLIN - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); Miller, Gary

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/2011
Publication Date: 6/22/2011
Citation: Favret, C., Miller, G.L. 2011. The neotype barcode of the cotton aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae: Aphis gossypii Glover, 1877) and a proposal for type barcodes. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 113(2):119-126.

Interpretive Summary: Billions of dollars of annual crops losses attributed to aphids are a result of their direct feeding damage and the transmission of plant diseases. One of the most common aphid species is the cotton aphid. Although described numerous times in the scientific literature, a single specimen to represent the species has never been designated (i.e., neotype). It is critical that proper identification be established before any program can start. This paper clarifies the status of the cotton aphid name by designation of a neotype and in addition, the authors make an argument for also including its associated DNA barcode. The findings are important to Federal quarantine specialists, state entomologists, extension personnel, and scientists studying aphids.

Technical Abstract: A type barcode is a DNA barcode unequivocally tied to an authoritatively identified specimen, preferably the primary type specimen. Type barcodes are analogous, albeit subordinate, to type specimens, providing a stable reference to which other barcodes can be compared. We here designate and describe the neotype specimen of the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, and designate and publish its neotype barcode.