Genetic Diversity Analysis of the Flea Beetle, Podagrica Fuscicornis (Chrysomelidae) using Mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit I Gene Marker

Podagrica fuscicornis referred to as Flea beetles are members of Family Chrysomelidae (leaf beetles) and occur in all plant life habitats. Podagrica species arise most frequently inside the open, namely within the location of grasslands, forests and water bodies. Molecular characterization and DNA barcoding is a taxonomic method that makes use of a short genetic marker in an insect DNA to identify a species, which include an unknown species. DNA barcoding for species identification of the Flea beetles, P. fuscicornis isolated from Malappuram district (Kerala: India) by using the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (CO I) gene have been checked. DNA sequence similarity searches of COI gene of P. fuscicornis (NCBI GenBank Accession No. KX 778629) revealed that it is genetically 87% identical to Podagrica fuscipes (Accession No. KF 655901) cytochrome oxidase I gene collected from Spain. The results indicate slow evolution of the CO I sequences among the morphologically distinct and geographically isolated group of P. fuscicornis.