Abstract: To explore the feasibility of DNA barcoding in the identification of Noctuidae moths, the COI genes of 75 samples belonging to 43 species from Noctuidae in Baihuashan, Beijing, were amplified using universal barcoding primers. The intraspecies and interspecies genetic distances were calculated using the Kimura-2-parameter model, the phylogenetic trees were reconstructed by neighbor-joining (NJ) and maximum parsimony (MP) method, and the identification of MOTU was performed using sequence divergence threshold technique. The results showed that all of Noctuidae species were successfully distinguished by the phylogenetic tree. The average intraspecific genetic distance (0.02%) was much less than the average interspecific genetic distance (11.28%). Seventy-five Noctuidae samples were divided into 42 MOTUs based on 1% sequence divergence threshold and the accuracy rate was 95%. Most of MOTUs (41/42) were classified into their corresponding morphospecies with only one exception (MOTU04). The study indicates that the species from Noctuidae family can be well distinguished with the commonly used COI barcodes, which are potentially well utilized in moth species identification.

Key words: Lepidoptera, noctuid, molecular taxonomy, DNA barcoding, phylogenetic tree, genetic distance, molecular defined operational taxonomic unit (MOTU)