1. Tephritid Barcoding Initiative
Bruce A. McPheron
Penn State University, USA
Norman B. Barr
USDA-APHIS

2. Tephritid Barcoding Initiative
CBoL obtained funding from Sloan Foundation to support a “Demonstrator System”
Mid-size taxon, reasonable taxonomic knowledge
Interested user community
Scientists willing to commit to 2-year project
CBoL approached the mosquito and fruit fly communities to consider proposals

3. Tephritidae – The (True) Fruit Flies
Photos: USDA, R. Copeland, H.-Y. Han

4. Tephritid Barcoding Initiative
Family Tephritidae (>4,000 species, >350 economically important species)
Anastrepha, Bactrocera, Ceratitis, Dacus, Rhagoletis
Morphological keys of adults are available for many pests and congeners
Morphological keys using immature morphology are uncommon

5. Tephritid Barcoding Initiative
Family Tephritidae (>4,000 species, >350 economically important species)
Anastrepha, Bactrocera, Ceratitis, Dacus, Rhagoletis
Many taxa are cryptic species complexes
Emerging pests require a mechanism to update any diagnostic tool

6. DNA Barcoding – the Positives
Works for all life stages
Works with specimen fragments
Can separate sibling species complexes
Magnifies taxonomic expertise
Worldwide access
Enhances the value of traditional collections
Source:

7. DNA Barcoding – the Negatives
Does not separate all sibling complexes
More expensive than morphological examination
Requires expert validation

8. Tephritid Barcoding Initiative
Steering Committee met in April, 2006, in Belgium
Identified strategy, potential participants, and potential funders
Submitted proposal to CBoL executive committee in July, 2006
Support confirmed Sept., 2006
Operational support March, 2007

9. Tephritid Barcoding Initiative
Generate barcode database for 2,000 species (10,000 individuals)
Train postdoctoral scholars in morphological and molecular approaches to tephritid systematics
Establish globally-available DNA repository
Develop protocols for queries to DNA barcode database in support of pest management, ecology and taxonomy
Target completion – July, 2008

10. Tephritid Barcoding Initiative
Generate barcode database for 2,000 species (10,000 individuals)
100% of economically important (EI) species
>75% of EI congeners
>25% of taxa containing beneficial species
1 species per genus in subtribes containing EI species
1 species per genus in other higher taxa
representative tephritoid families

11. Tephritid Barcoding Initiative
Train postdoctoral scholars in morphological and molecular approaches to tephritid systematics
Regional approach
Recruit 3 postdocs to work with established morphological systematists
Use museums as home base and travel to regional museums or accept loans for DNA acquisition

12. Tephritid Barcoding Initiative
A global effort:
- Allen Norrbom
- Marc De Meyer
- Dick Drew

13. Tephritid Barcoding Initiative
Establish globally-available DNA repository
Host not yet identified
Develop protocols for queries to DNA barcode database in support of pest management, ecology and taxonomy
BoLD and GenBank formats
Incorporation into robust risk assessment tools

14. Tephritid Barcoding Initiative
Target completion – July, 2008
Funding estimate: US$1 million direct costs
Statement of cooperation from >15 major museums
Funding from Sloan Foundation, USDA-APHIS, Penn State, Belgian government

15. Tephritid Barcoding Initiative
496 tephritid cytochrome oxidase I sequences in GenBank
236 sequences cover the “Barcode” region
Most sequences come from taxa in species complexes
Armstrong & Ball (2005) and subsequent unpublished work
75 species in 14 genera, primarily Bactrocera

16. Only tephritids are included
NJ tree (68 taxa)
MEGA3.1
Bootstrap support
Only tephritids are included
Bactrocera
99%
99%
B. cucurbitae
Ceratitis + Dacus
Rhagoletis
99%
Anastrepha

17. Tephritid Barcoding Initiative
Contact: Bruce McPheron, Penn State, USA
Chair, TBI Steering Committee
TBI Coordinators:
Allen Norrbom, USDA, USA
Marc De Meyer, RMCA, Belgium
Steering Committee Members:
Karen Armstrong, New Zealand
Norman Barr, USA
Amnon Freidberg, Israel
Ho-Yeon Han, South Korea
George Roderick, USA
Ian White, UK