DNA barcoding reveals new records of potential zoonotic Nearctic black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) from Chihuahua state, Northwest Mexico

Abstract

The state of Chihuahua covers a surface area of 247,455 square kilometers, making it the largest state in Mexico. There are no systematic and updated studies on blackfly fauna, only 10 species have been registered. To document the diversity and distribution of black flies inhabiting the state, collection trips were conducted in the subregion of Tarahumara Mountain ranges and Plains belonging to the physiographic region of Sierra Madre Occidental. Thus, blackflies specimens (larvae, pupae, reared adults) were collected in the period 2018 in and near rivers and streams. No invasive Hotshot technique was used for DNA extraction. COI mitochondrial region was sequenced from the specimens collected. In total, we collected 138 specimens representing 7 species. Of these, all of them are new records for Chihuahua state: Simulium ochraceum, S. samboni, S. quadrivittatum, S. paynei, S. pulverulentum, S. virgatum, and S. marquezi; DNA barcode sequences of these species were recovered. The overall genetic distance in the dataset (n=95) was 0.13%. In this study, we assessed the use of the cox1 DNA barcoding region for the identification of species of blackflies in Chihuahua, Mexico. Our results showed that using the DNA barcoding with elementary knowledge on morphometrical taxonomic, it is possible to identify the blackflies species in Mexico. Also, these results indicate a new distribution of Neotropical blackflies along the Nearctic region that are incriminated as one of the main vectors of onchocerciasis in Latin America.