DNA barcoding reveals genetic divergence and phylogenetic relationships of Scymnus species (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) from Uzbekistan

Abstract. Ladybird beetles of the genus Scymnus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) are key predators in agroecosystems, yet species-level identification remains challenging due to high morphological similarity among closely related taxa. Molecular data for Central Asian populations are scarce, limiting regional representation in global barcode libraries. Here, we analyzed mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences to investigate phylogenetic relationships and genetic divergence of four Scymnus species from Uzbekistan (S. rubromaculatus, S. frontalis, S. subvillosus, and S. apetzi). A total of 32 mitochondrial COI sequences (503 bp), including 16 newly generated sequences from Uzbekistan and 16 sequences retrieved from GenBank, were analyzed. Phylogenetic reconstruction using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference recovered all four species as well-supported monophyletic clades. Intraspecific divergence was low in S. rubromaculatus (K2P = 0.00203), S. frontalis (0.00717), and S. apetzi (0.01087), whereas S. subvillosus showed comparatively higher variation (0.05558), indicating potential geographic structuring. Interspecific divergence ranged from 0.157 to 0.169, revealing a clear barcode gap. These findings confirm the reliability of COI barcoding for species delimitation within Scymnus and provide the first molecular reference dataset for Scymnus species from Uzbekistan, expanding the barcode representation of Central Asian Coccinellidae.

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