The mitochondrial gene COX1 encodes subunit 1 of cytochrome c oxidase. Within taxonomy, it serves as a DNA barcode for the vast majority of the animal kingdom. A DNA barcode is a standard genomic region specific to a particular group of organisms, which can be used to identify organisms. Scorpions are common arachnids in Slovenia, with representatives of the genera Euscorpius and Alpiscorpius. By isolating the total DNA of scorpions and amplifying the 5' region of COX1, we determined the nucleotide sequence of this region and assigned scorpion to a corresponding species of the analyzed scorpions. This species was Euscorpius italicus for all tested subjects. This species is one of the most common scorpions in Slovenia. By aligning multiple sequences of the COX1 region, we verified the identities of different scorpion species, eliminating the possibility that the analyzed scorpions belonged to other species. We also examined the possible relatedness of analyzed scorpions.
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