Indian Journal of Entomology
Open Access
SCOPUSWeb of Science
  • Year: 2026
  • Volume: 88
  • Issue: 3

Molecular Characterization of Sibling Species of the Genus Hirtodrosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

  • Author:
  • Mohd Zahier Khan1, Pradeep Chandra Sati2, Sonali Khali1, Kumari Asha1, Rajendra Singh Fartyal1*
  • Total Page Count: 4
  • Page Number: 909 to 912

1Fly Lab. Department of Zoology HNB Garhwal University (A Central University)Srinagar-Garhwal, Chauras Campus, Chauras249161, Uttarakhand, India

2Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Allahabad (A Central University), Prayagraj211002, Uttar Pradesh, India

*Email: fartyalrs@gmail.com (corresponding author):

Abstract

This study focused on the molecular characterization of two sibling species, Hirtodrosophila fascipennis (Okada, 1967) and Hirtodrosophila pellucidipennis (Bhardwaj, Khan and Fartyal, 2022) using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (mtCOI) gene sequences. Sequencing of the amplified mtCOI gene sequences, followed by BLAST analysis confirmed the identification of two species by comparing them to sequences available in GenBank The identification of species was further confirmed by phylogenetic analysis. The combination of molecular approaches and phylogenetic analysis provides a comprehensive approach to identifying species highlighting the utility of mtCOI as a genetic marker for studying closely related species.

Keywords

Drosophilidae, Hirtodrosophila fascipennis, Hirtodrosophila pellucidipennis, molecular characterization, mtCOI gene, molecular gene, phylogeny, phylogenetic relationship, Jammu and Kashmir, Western Himalaya