Throughout the years, DNA barcoding has gained in importance in forensic entomology as it leads to fast and reliable species determination. High-quality results, however, can only be achieved with a comprehensive DNA barcode reference database at hand. In collaboration with the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office, we have initiated at the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology the establishment of a reference library containing arthropods of potential forensic relevance to be used for DNA barcoding applications. CO1-5P' DNA barcode sequences of hundreds of arthropods were obtained via DNA extraction, PCR and Sanger Sequencing, leading to the establishment of a database containing 502 high-quality sequences which provide coverage for 88 arthropod species. Furthermore, we demonstrate an application example of this library using it as a backbone to a high throughput sequencing analysis of arthropod bulk samples collected from human corpses, which enabled the identification of 31 different arthropod Barcode Index Numbers.

Abteilung 2 Bayerisches Landeskriminalamt Maillingerstraße 15 80636 München Germany

Institute of Legal Medicine Ludwig Maximilians Universität München Germany

Mendel University in Brno Zemedelska 1 Brno 613 00 Czech Republic

Zoologische Staatssammlung München Münchhausenstrasse 21 81247 München Germany

J Forensic Sci. 2019 Jul;64(4):1285-1286. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.14094. PubMed

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