A DNA barcode library for ground beetles of Germany: the genus Agonum Bonelli, 1810 (Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae)

Abstract

The ground beetle genus Agonum Bonelli, 1810 is a large genus of the tribe Platynini with many species that show high amounts of intraspecific variations, making a correct identification challenging. As part of the German Barcode of Life initiative, this publication provides a comprehensive DNA barcode library for species of Agonum that are reported for Germany. In total, DNA barcodes from 258 beetles and 23 species were analysed using the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) workbench, including sequences from former studies and 68 newly-generated sequences. The neighbour-joining analyses, based on K2P distances, revealed distinct clustering for all studied species, with unique Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) for 15 species (65%). BIN sharing but distinct clustering was found for three species pairs: Agonum micans/Agonum scitulum, Agonum impressum/Agonum sexpunctatum and Agonum duftschmidi/Agonum emarginatum. The given dataset and its analysis represent another important step in generating a comprehensive DNA barcode library for the ground beetles of Germany and Central Europe in terms of modern biodiversity research.