Analysis research trends in molecular species delimitation and phylogenetics of Orthoptera through bibliometric

Since the introduction of DNA barcoding by Paul Hebert and colleagues in 2003, significant advances have been made in its application to orthopteran insects for molecular species delimitation and phylogenetics.

This study conducted a comprehensive literature search across multiple databases, including CNKI, Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), Scopus, and PubMed, covering the period from 2003 to 2023. We initially identified 1386 records related to DNA barcoding in orthopteran taxonomy and phylogenetics. After thorough deduplication and screening, 849 relevant publications were retained for analysis. Using CiteSpace 6.3.R1 Advanced (64-bit), we performed a visual analysis of keywords, authors, institutions, and countries.

The results revealed an general upward trend in annual publications output, peaking at 75 articles in 2021. Professor Yuan Huang from Shaanxi Normal University and Professor Tony Robillard from the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN) were identified as the most prolific contributors, with 41 and 43 publications, respectively. Their work has provided substantial data, theoretical insights, and methodological innovations for orthopteran DNA barcoding.

Over the past two decades, systematic research on Orthoptera has progressively deepened to encompass both interspecific and intraspecific relationships. DNA barcoding has been instrumental in this evolution, facilitating a shift from purely morphological approaches to integrative methodologies that combine various molecular data types. This integration has significantly enriched the toolkit for species identification and delimitation, thereby enabling a more comprehensive understanding of orthopteran phylogeny.