A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Acasta cyathus has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
DNA specimens10
BINs2
Marker genes2
eDNA detections3
Countries1
The DNA barcodethe species' typical barcode, built from every sequenced specimen
COI-5P658 bp consensus8 specimens
ACGT
▸ drag or hover over the strip to read any position — letter and how much it varies
Violet ticks below the strip = positions where individuals differ; flat = the species' unchanging signature. 92% of positions are identical in every specimen.
Diversity (π)2.3%
Haplotypes1
BINs2
Where individuals differ — all 52 variable positions, in barcode order
The species whose COI barcode is most similar to this one — a quick “who is this most like”. The percentage is how much the barcode differs; it approximates, but is not, the full evolutionary tree.
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
★COI-3P★COI-5P
animal barcode
Organelle genome
Besides the big genome in the nucleus, cells carry a small, circular loop of DNA inside the cell's energy factories — the mitochondria. It is inherited almost only from the mother and is a leftover from ancient bacteria that moved into the cell. The mitochondrial markers above (ND*, COX, CYTB…) are read from exactly this loop. Outer ring = one strand, inner ring = the other.
▸ Tap any coloured segment — or a gene chip — to see what it is
◖ violet arc = the COI-5P barcode — the ~650 bp read used to ID this species
Pick a coloured segment on the ring — or a gene chip — to read what that gene does.
protein-codingrRNAtRNA
08Occurrence & distribution
Record type136 records
Wild obs. + sensor50
Museum / vouchered86
Origin
Native15
Range
Area of Occupancy AOO336 km²
Depth
0–200 m sunlit22
200–1000 m twilight0
1–4 km midnight0
>4 km abyssal0
median 30 m · max 164.6 m · 22 records with depth
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Coordinate accuracy
no georeferenced coordinates · 50 records without
Open the mapobservation + sensor50
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Coordinate accuracy0% within 1 km
≤10 km 4>10 km 3
7 georeferenced · 79 without coordinates
Open the institutions mapphysical evidence86
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
10Collections & institutions
Holding institutions4 of 13 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
Institution
Specimens
Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collectionlocation not on record
15
Washington, US
13
Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeirolocation not on record
7
Florida Museum of Natural History- Zoology, Paleontology & Paleobotanylocation not on record
5
CASlocation not on record
5
Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (Zoological Collections)location not on record
3
Sydney, AU
2
Western Australian Museumlocation not on record
2
Western Australian Museumlocation not on record
1
UM-RSMASlocation not on record
1
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural Historylocation not on record
1
Stockholm, SE
1
South Kensington, GB
1
13 institutions · 57 of 86 vouchered records shown · 1 without an institution code
09Environmental DNA3 detections
Where the DNA of Acasta cyathus was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Detections DNA found3
Studies independent surveys1
Signal confidence: weakweighed across independent studies, places & mapped detections
Where its DNA was found
0 of 3 detections have coordinates
Open the map0 countries0
How strong is each trace?
DNA read depthRead counts were not reported for this species — the map shows presence only, not how strong each trace was.
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility58 records↗
OBISOcean Biodiversity Information System78 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI3 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics10 specimens↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
Paleobiology DatabasePBDB consortiumfossil record↗
Catalogue of LifeCOLtaxonomy↗