Investigating leaf beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) on the west coast islands of Sabah via checklist-taking and DNA barcoding

Leaf beetles from 13 islands off west coast of Sabah, Borneo was collected. A checklist of leaf beetle species from these 13 islands was provided. DNA barcoding of the leaf beetle species was conducted using the mitochondrial gene, COI region. 60 out of 68 species were successfully sequenced, results in 101 sequences. Through DNA barcoding, four species were revealed to have phenotypic variation. In addition, DNA barcoding also reveals species with overlook number of species, where the species are morphological hard to distinguish from one another (Nodina sp.). The study provides the first documentation of leaf beetle fauna from island habitats of Sabah and the first DNA barcoding data for leaf beetles from this part of the world, with the next steps being larger scale sampling over a wider geographical scale for a better understanding of tropical arthropod diversity.