Standardized mtDNA analysis to help identify exotic wildlife

Many exotic pets are also endangered or threatened species.  Global illegal trade in protected wildlife is estimated at $10 billion annually.  The essential first step in international wildlife law enforcement is accurate species identification. In April 2007 Conservation Genetics researchers from Trent University, Ontario, and Toronto Zoo apply DNA barcoding to species identification of genus Brachypelma tarantulas from Mexico. “Brachypelma…tarantulas are popular pets as they are long-lived [15-25 years], brightly-colored, and tend to be docile…leading to over-harvesting from the wild.” Petersen and colleagues developed a method for recovering DNA from shed exoskeletons (exuviae), an improvement over the usual practice for DNA study of live tarantulas of “inducing limb autotomy” ie removing a leg!  Short COI sequences (205 bp) from 23 individuals representing 8 of the 20 known Brachypelma species were analyzed. Even with this short sequence, all species formed well-supported nodes in a NJ tree (tree topology recovered with maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood methods was consistent with NJ results).  The authors call for a “reference set of COI barcodes…fully vouchered and accessioned into a recognized collection”. They conclude that analyzing DNA from exuvia will enable field researchers to “sample individuals in situ without reducing the fitness of animals or reducing the population size” and aid in conservation of these iconic species and their habitats.