Morphological and molecular characterization of Cybister tripunctatus (Olivier, 1795) (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) from Thi Qar Governorate, Iraq: A taxonomic study

Abstract

     The current study involved the morphological identification of an aquatic beetle species (Dytiscidae: Coleoptera) collected from various aquatic habitats in Thi Qar Governorate. The specimens were identified as Cybister tripunctatus, a widely distributed predatory aquatic beetle. Molecular analysis further confirmed this identification, with mtCOX1 gene sequences from PCR-amplified DNA showing a 98% match with GenBank entries. These sequences were submitted to GenBank under a new accession number to serve as a future reference. This represents the first study in Thi Qar Governorate to integrate both morphological and molecular approaches for identifying this species.