Why might the BOLD ID Engine not return with matches for my sequence?
If the BOLD ID Engine is not returning any identification matches to your sequence, there may be a few factors worth investigating. First, the genetic marker used must be supported by the database.
BOLD currently supports COI for animal identifications, matK and rbcL for plant identifications and ITS for fungal identifications. Second, the sequenced region of the gene should match the marker used.
For example, the barcode region for COI is located in the 5’ end. Although other gene regions may return results, most of the database is composed of sequences within the barcode region.
Finally, you should ensure the length of your sequence is 180bp or longer. Short sequences and/or those containing a large number of ambiguous bases should be run in the full length database only.
If the above factors have been examined and no identifications are returned, please contact support@boldsystems.org and our support staff will be happy to assist you further.
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