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High utility of DNA barcoding for species identification and cryptic diversity in Korean aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae)
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  • Published: 16 February 2026

High utility of DNA barcoding for species identification and cryptic diversity in Korean aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

  • Yejin Kang1 na1,
  • Hyobin Lee1 na1,
  • Deog-Kee Park2,
  • Shinichi Akimoto3,
  • Ki-Jeong Hong2 &
  • …
  • Wonhoon Lee1,4 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

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We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Ecology
  • Evolution
  • Genetics
  • Zoology

Abstract

Aphids (family Aphididae) are among the most species-rich groups of Sternorrhyncha in the order Hemiptera, and have a complex life cycle that can include several different phenotypes that are perfectly adapted to specific ecological niches. However, because aphids have a small body size, indistinct appearance, and cryptic adult behavior, their species level identification is often difficult and may be time-consuming. To overcome these limitations, DNA barcoding has been employed as an effective tool for species identification. In this study, we conducted a DNA barcoding test based on 566 specimens of Korean Aphididae, representing 125 morphospecies. Based on intraspecific genetic divergence, a threshold of 2% was estimated to efficiently differentiate the morphospecies. Only 87 morphospecies (69.6%) identified across four species delimitation methods (namely, automatic barcode gap discovery, assemble species by automatic partitioning, Poisson-tree-processes or PTP, and Bayesian implementation of the PTP) were consistent with the morphological identifications of the species. This indicates the presence of many cases of cryptic diversity among the other morphospecies, except the abovementioned 87 species. Careful morphological examination of morphospecies exceeding 2.0% intraspecific variability revealed cryptic diversity in three species (Eriosoma yangi, Tuberculatus kuricola, and Greenidea kuwanai). Two morphospecies, Sitobion avenae and Aphis craccivora, also exhibited high intraspecific divergence and comprised a single molecular operational taxonomic unit. Overall, our findings indicate that DNA barcoding can be a powerful tool for identifying species belonging to the family Aphididae, while also revealing cases of cryptic diversity.

Data availability

Accession Codes: *COI* sequences generated in this study are available in the Genbank repository (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank/), from PX250385 to PX250950.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Dr. Sora Kim (Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, South Korea) for her insightful and helpful comments on the analysis of molecular operational taxonomic units.

Funding

This work was carried out with the support of “Research Program for Agriculture Science and Technology Development (Project No. RS-2025-02216505)” Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea. This work was also supported by a grant from the Honam National Institute of Biological Resources (HNIBR), funded by the Ministry of Environment (MOE) of the Republic of Korea (HNIBR202501211).

Author information

Author notes

  1. Yejin Kang and Hyobin Lee have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52828, Republic of Korea

    Yejin Kang, Hyobin Lee & Wonhoon Lee

  2. Department of Agricultural Life Science, Sunchon National University, Suncheon, 57922, Republic of Korea

    Deog-Kee Park & Ki-Jeong Hong

  3. Department of Ecology and Systematics, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

    Shinichi Akimoto

  4. Institute of Agriculture and Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52828, Republic of Korea

    Wonhoon Lee

Authors
  1. Yejin Kang
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Contributions

Yejin Kang: conceptualization, data curation, writing—original draft, formal analysis, writing—review & editing, visualization. Hyobin Lee: conceptualization, data curation, writing—original draft, formal analysis, writing—review & editing, visualization. Deog-Kee Park: data curation, formal analysis. Shinichi Akimoto: data curation, formal analysis. Ki-Jeong Hong: conceptualization, writing—original draft, formal analysis, project administration, supervision, writing—review & editing. Wonhoon Lee: conceptualization, writing—original draft, formal analysis, project administration, supervision, writing—review & editing.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Ki-Jeong Hong or Wonhoon Lee.

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Kang, Y., Lee, H., Park, DK. et al. High utility of DNA barcoding for species identification and cryptic diversity in Korean aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae). Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38901-0

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  • Received: 18 September 2025

  • Accepted: 31 January 2026

  • Published: 16 February 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38901-0

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