Universal COI barcoding for insects, spiders, molluscs, worms, and crustaceans.
The Folmer COI primers (LCO1490/HCO2198) amplify a ~658 bp fragment of the Cytochrome Oxidase subunit I gene — the standard animal barcode established by Paul Hebert's group at the University of Guelph in 2003. COI works across virtually all animal phyla.
Your kit includes: 95% ethanol preservation tube (critical for arthropod DNA — silica gel doesn't work well for insects), forceps instructions for leg/tissue sampling, and a detailed guide to avoiding contamination.
Results are searched against BOLD Systems (boldsystems.org) — the primary COI barcode database with over 14 million records — and NCBI GenBank.
Works for: beetles, moths, butterflies, flies, ants, bees, wasps, spiders, mites, centipedes, millipedes, snails, slugs, earthworms, marine invertebrates, crustaceans. For Australian insects, the Australian Faunal Directory (biodiversity.org.au/afd) is an essential reference.