Current status of COI Barcoding and molecular species delimitation methods in Alepia Enderlein (Diptera: Psychodidae), with the description of five new species

Abstract The genus Alepia Enderlein, 1937 is recorded for the first time in Ecuador, with the description of five new species, namely, A. cylindrica sp.n. , A. kiskata sp.n. , A. sparta sp.n. , A. striata sp.n. , and A. sunqua sp.n. , with the first geographical records of A. alcobregma Quate, 1999, A. caceresi Quate & Brown, 2004, and A. ferruginea Quate & Brown, 2004. In addition, this publication makes available the first DNA barcodes ( COI gene) for the newly described species, the newly recorded species, and three unnamed species, totaling 11 barcoded species. The three molecular species delimitation methods (ASAP, bPTP, and Species Identifier) employed in the study demonstrate the effectiveness of COI barcodes for species delimitation within the genus. Moreover, the results cover the current state of DNA barcoding for Alepia species and showcase the importance of an integrative taxonomy approach to enhance species hypothesis.