Project:

An Investigation of Cryptic Species of Owl Butterflies at Long Island Aquarium Using DNA Barcoding

Students:

Kasey Miller, Kasey Miller

School:

Glen Cove High School, Nassau

Mentors:

Kerry Bunyan

Abstract:

Species of organisms have previously been defined by phenotype, but new technology and scientific methods allows scientists to genetically determine an organism’s species. This has led to the discovery of cryptic species; species look similar but have a different genotype. I am looking to collect a cryptic species of butterfly, Brassolini, from Long Island Aquarium and see if some of the samples could’ve been labeled a different species than what they actually are. I am going to do this by using DNA barcoding to look at the CO1 gene of the butterflies to determine their species.

Poster:

Team samples: