DNA Barcode Library of Megadiverse Lepidoptera in an Alpine Nature Park (Italy) Reveals Unexpected Species Diversity

Species inventories are a prerequisite for biodiversity monitoring and conservation, particularly in protected areas. However, the possibilities of standardized survey species diversity using DNA barcoding have so far hardly been implemented, especially species-rich groups. A first-time molecular-based nearly complete inventory megadiverse insect order Lepidoptera area Alps (Cottian Alps, Italy) was intended to test reliability DNA-based identifications. From voucher material collected between 2019 2022, we successfully sequenced 1213 morphospecies that grouped into 1204 BINs (barcode index numbers), whereas failed another 18 species. total 35 shared BIN with one or more taxa, but majority 19 could still be discriminated by divergent sequences. 12 split two BINs. These further 22 taxa unique barcode divergences >2% nearest neighbor require taxonomic re-assessment. Two additional cryptic from study were described recently. Finally, 16 newly recorded Italy. Our study, therefore, demonstrates importance both faunistics discovery diversity, even apparently well-studied